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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 Connecticut 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 :
- Orange, CT
- Cheshire Village, CT
- West Hartford, CT
- Trumbull, CT
- Darien, CT
- North Haven, CT
- Wethersfield, CT
- Old Greenwich, CT
- Cos Cob, CT
- Riverside, CT
These are the happiest places in Connecticut. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Connecticut?
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 60 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. Orange
Population: 13,937
Earners Over $75k: 67.4%
Average Commute: 26
Marriage Rate: 39.0%
Orange is the happiest city in all of Connecticut. What makes Orange residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Orange resident only drives 26.4 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Orange residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Cheshire Village
Population: 6,484
Earners Over $75k: 59.6%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 31.0%
In 2nd place we have Cheshire Village. Residents of Cheshire Village are highly educated, with an impressive 59.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Cheshire Village have plenty of them.
3. West Hartford
Population: 63,127
Earners Over $75k: 61.2%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 18.0%
West Hartford is the third happiest city in Connecticut. Why so happy? 18.0% of West Hartford 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. Trumbull
Population: 36,174
Earners Over $75k: 70.6%
Average Commute: 30
Marriage Rate: 28.0%
Folks in Trumbull have a lot to smile about. An impressive 70.6% of Trumbull households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Trumbull can afford peace of mind.
5. Darien
Population: 21,759
Earners Over $75k: 81.1%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 12.0%
Darien is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Darien residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Connecticut city is only $1,461,100), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. North Haven
Population: 23,786
Earners Over $75k: 60.0%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 38.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give North Haven a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 60.0% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call North Haven home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Wethersfield
Population: 26,267
Earners Over $75k: 54.6%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 30.0%
Wethersfield is the 7th happiest city. Wethersfield residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 21.1 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. Old Greenwich
Population: 6,819
Earners Over $75k: 84.7%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 10.0%
Old Greenwich residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Cos Cob
Population: 6,959
Earners Over $75k: 69.6%
Average Commute: 33
Marriage Rate: 12.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Connecticut is Cos Cob. The average commute in Cos Cob is only 33.4 minutes. That means they are only 33.4 minutes away from the loving spouse 12.0% of them have.
10. Riverside
Population: 8,414
Earners Over $75k: 75.8%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 10.0%
In 10th place is Riverside, Connecticut. What makes Riverside 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 Connecticut
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 | Orange | 67.4% |
| 2 | Cheshire Village | 59.6% |
| 3 | West Hartford | 61.2% |
| 4 | Trumbull | 70.6% |
| 5 | Darien | 81.1% |
| 6 | North Haven | 60.0% |
| 7 | Wethersfield | 54.6% |
| 8 | Old Greenwich | 84.7% |
| 9 | Cos Cob | 69.6% |
| 10 | Riverside | 75.8% |
| 11 | Westport | 77.6% |
| 12 | Ridgefield | 67.5% |
| 13 | Simsbury Center | 65.7% |
| 14 | Kensington | 59.7% |
| 15 | Shelton | 60.0% |
| 16 | Norwalk | 53.8% |
| 17 | Newington | 53.8% |
| 18 | Glastonbury Center | 56.4% |
| 19 | Branford Center | 41.9% |
| 20 | Stamford | 56.5% |
| 21 | Greenwich | 57.4% |
| 22 | Portland | 47.5% |
| 23 | Milford | 58.3% |
| 24 | Bethel | 50.8% |
| 25 | Middletown | 45.6% |
| 26 | Oakville | 45.4% |
| 27 | Southwood Acres | 55.2% |
| 28 | Danbury | 48.1% |
| 29 | Stratford | 50.6% |
| 30 | Colchester | 48.3% |
| 31 | Conning Towers Nautilus Park | 34.6% |
| 32 | Pawcatuck | 35.7% |
| 33 | Bristol | 44.4% |
| 34 | Groton | 35.8% |
| 35 | Wallingford Center | 43.0% |
| 36 | Naugatuck | 47.4% |
| 37 | Windsor Locks | 45.2% |
| 38 | Sherwood Manor | 55.6% |
| 39 | East Haven | 43.5% |
| 40 | West Haven | 38.5% |
| 41 | Storrs | 27.5% |
| 42 | Manchester | 38.0% |
| 43 | Torrington | 41.0% |
| 44 | East Hartford | 37.2% |
| 45 | New Milford | 34.7% |
| 46 | Derby | 36.6% |
| 47 | Norwich | 32.7% |
| 48 | Ansonia | 34.7% |
| 49 | Meriden | 37.7% |
| 50 | New Britain | 28.5% |
| 51 | New Haven | 26.9% |
| 52 | New London | 26.1% |
| 53 | Thompsonville | 29.5% |
| 54 | Putnam | 29.7% |
| 55 | Willimantic | 18.9% |
| 56 | Rockville | 19.4% |
| 57 | Waterbury | 26.0% |
| 58 | Bridgeport | 30.1% |
| 59 | Hartford | 20.0% |
| 60 | Winsted | 36.0% |
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.
