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Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?
Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in Arizona where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,
The results? Happiness comes in small packages.
The result is this list of the best cities for :
- Doney Park, AZ
- Queen Creek, AZ
- Gilbert, AZ
- Corona De Tucson, AZ
- Paradise Valley, AZ
- Rincon Valley, AZ
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Page, AZ
- Snowflake, AZ
- Chandler, AZ
These are the happiest places in Arizona. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Arizona?
We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:
- Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
- Percent of households earning above $75,000
- Median home prices
- A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
- Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)
We examined over 97 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.
While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.
Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.
All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.
Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.
1. Doney Park
Population: 5,352
Earners Over $75k: 55.0%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 19.0%
Doney Park is the happiest city in all of Arizona. What makes Doney Park residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Doney Park resident only drives 22.3 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Doney Park residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Queen Creek
Population: 36,053
Earners Over $75k: 64.6%
Average Commute: 33
Marriage Rate: 15.0%
In 2nd place we have Queen Creek. Residents of Queen Creek are highly educated, with an impressive 39.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Queen Creek have plenty of them.
3. Gilbert
Population: 237,484
Earners Over $75k: 61.4%
Average Commute: 27
Marriage Rate: 11.0%
Gilbert is the third happiest city in Arizona. Why so happy? 11.0% of Gilbert residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.
4. Corona De Tucson
Population: 8,326
Earners Over $75k: 65.1%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 15.0%
Folks in Corona de Tucson have a lot to smile about. An impressive 65.1% of Corona de Tucson households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Corona de Tucson can afford peace of mind.
5. Paradise Valley
Population: 14,215
Earners Over $75k: 78.1%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 7.0%
Paradise Valley is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Paradise Valley residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Arizona city is only $1,505,300), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. Rincon Valley
Population: 5,469
Earners Over $75k: 67.2%
Average Commute: 35
Marriage Rate: 14.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Rincon Valley a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 67.2% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Rincon Valley home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Flagstaff
Population: 71,202
Earners Over $75k: 37.3%
Average Commute: 15
Marriage Rate: 9.0%
Flagstaff is the 7th happiest city. Flagstaff residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 15.7 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.
8. Page
Population: 7,547
Earners Over $75k: 32.9%
Average Commute: 10
Marriage Rate: 16.0%
Page residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Snowflake
Population: 5,724
Earners Over $75k: 26.2%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 33.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Arizona is Snowflake. The average commute in Snowflake is only 20.1 minutes. That means they are only 20.1 minutes away from the loving spouse 33.0% of them have.
10. Chandler
Population: 248,631
Earners Over $75k: 53.3%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 8.0%
In 10th place is Chandler, Arizona. What makes Chandler so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.
And that’s our list of the happiest cities in Arizona
There you have it, happiness is a place.
While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.
If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.
If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.
Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In
| Rank | City | High Earners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doney Park | 55.0% |
| 2 | Queen Creek | 64.6% |
| 3 | Gilbert | 61.4% |
| 4 | Corona De Tucson | 65.1% |
| 5 | Paradise Valley | 78.1% |
| 6 | Rincon Valley | 67.2% |
| 7 | Flagstaff | 37.3% |
| 8 | Page | 32.9% |
| 9 | Snowflake | 26.2% |
| 10 | Chandler | 53.3% |
| 11 | Thatcher | 32.6% |
| 12 | Citrus Park | 70.2% |
| 13 | Catalina Foothills | 55.0% |
| 14 | Vail | 56.1% |
| 15 | Sahuarita | 52.3% |
| 16 | Scottsdale | 55.5% |
| 17 | Marana | 56.0% |
| 18 | Anthem | 61.7% |
| 19 | Litchfield Park | 53.0% |
| 20 | Tanque Verde | 62.6% |
| 21 | Safford | 31.6% |
| 22 | Show Low | 28.4% |
| 23 | Globe | 32.4% |
| 24 | Cave Creek | 56.6% |
| 25 | Peoria | 48.9% |
| 26 | Goodyear | 54.8% |
| 27 | Williamson | 41.3% |
| 28 | Sedona | 37.3% |
| 29 | Tuba City | 28.3% |
| 30 | Casas Adobes | 39.0% |
| 31 | Sierra Vista | 38.2% |
| 32 | Sierra Vista Southeast | 41.6% |
| 33 | Prescott | 33.9% |
| 34 | Payson | 28.3% |
| 35 | Valencia West | 35.5% |
| 36 | Mesa | 34.8% |
| 37 | Rio Rico | 29.2% |
| 38 | New River | 54.2% |
| 39 | Holbrook | 26.5% |
| 40 | Oro Valley | 50.7% |
| 41 | Phoenix | 35.6% |
| 42 | San Tan Valley | 42.5% |
| 43 | Verde Village | 29.1% |
| 44 | Tempe | 35.4% |
| 45 | Fountain Hills | 53.3% |
| 46 | Yuma | 30.0% |
| 47 | Avondale | 37.3% |
| 48 | Chinle | 17.2% |
| 49 | Surprise | 42.6% |
| 50 | Winslow | 24.0% |
| 51 | Glendale | 33.9% |
| 52 | Tolleson | 27.2% |
| 53 | El Mirage | 32.7% |
| 54 | Casa Grande | 29.2% |
| 55 | Coolidge | 25.0% |
| 56 | Prescott Valley | 25.3% |
| 57 | Saddlebrooke | 51.7% |
| 58 | Maricopa | 44.6% |
| 59 | Wickenburg | 29.9% |
| 60 | Camp Verde | 18.9% |
| 61 | Douglas | 19.2% |
| 62 | Drexel Heights | 28.3% |
| 63 | Village Of Oak Creek (Big Park) | 36.5% |
| 64 | Guadalupe | 10.9% |
| 65 | Bisbee | 18.0% |
| 66 | Tucson | 24.2% |
| 67 | Gold Canyon | 46.4% |
| 68 | Catalina | 32.1% |
| 69 | Kingman | 25.9% |
| 70 | Nogales | 15.2% |
| 71 | Sun Lakes | 35.7% |
| 72 | Somerton | 20.8% |
| 73 | Lake Havasu City | 30.8% |
| 74 | Chino Valley | 26.8% |
| 75 | Green Valley | 29.7% |
| 76 | Picture Rocks | 27.5% |
| 77 | Sun City West | 26.8% |
| 78 | Lake Montezuma | 18.4% |
| 79 | Arizona City | 18.0% |
| 80 | Fort Mohave | 24.8% |
| 81 | Cottonwood | 17.3% |
| 82 | Fortuna Foothills | 28.8% |
| 83 | Eloy | 23.2% |
| 84 | Flowing Wells | 13.8% |
| 85 | Youn | 20.5% |
| 86 | Tucson Estates | 23.5% |
| 87 | Florence | 28.9% |
| 88 | Avra Valley | 21.2% |
| 89 | Summit | 11.9% |
| 90 | New Kingman-Butler | 16.5% |
| 91 | San Luis | 12.9% |
| 92 | Bullhead City | 20.4% |
| 93 | South Tucson | 8.6% |
| 94 | Sun City | 18.4% |
| 95 | Apache Junction | 20.9% |
| 96 | Three Points | 20.6% |
| 97 | Golden Valley | 14.6% |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
