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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 Indiana 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 :
- Whitestown, IN
- Zionsville, IN
- Mccordsville, IN
- Bargersville, IN
- Westfield, IN
- Granger, IN
- Hunte, IN
- Carmel, IN
- Noblesville, IN
- Yor, IN
These are the happiest places in Indiana. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Indiana?
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 126 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. Whitestown
Population: 7,220
Earners Over $75k: 55.5%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 32.0%
Whitestown is the happiest city in all of Indiana. What makes Whitestown residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Whitestown resident only drives 21.5 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Whitestown residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Zionsville
Population: 26,209
Earners Over $75k: 72.6%
Average Commute: 26
Marriage Rate: 32.0%
In 2nd place we have Zionsville. Residents of Zionsville are highly educated, with an impressive 71.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Zionsville have plenty of them.
3. Mccordsville
Population: 6,523
Earners Over $75k: 71.0%
Average Commute: 32
Marriage Rate: 35.0%
McCordsville is the third happiest city in Indiana. Why so happy? 35.0% of McCordsville 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. Bargersville
Population: 6,950
Earners Over $75k: 52.7%
Average Commute: 26
Marriage Rate: 44.0%
Folks in Bargersville have a lot to smile about. An impressive 52.7% of Bargersville households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Bargersville can afford peace of mind.
5. Westfield
Population: 37,769
Earners Over $75k: 61.4%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 28.0%
Westfield is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Westfield residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Indiana city is only $242,500), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. Granger
Population: 30,815
Earners Over $75k: 66.9%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 30.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Granger a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 66.9% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Granger home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Hunte
Population: 6,787
Earners Over $75k: 51.9%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 36.0%
Hunte is the 7th happiest city. Hunte residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 24.5 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. Carmel
Population: 90,163
Earners Over $75k: 69.5%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 25.0%
Carmel residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Noblesville
Population: 61,558
Earners Over $75k: 52.0%
Average Commute: 26
Marriage Rate: 30.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Indiana is Noblesville. The average commute in Noblesville is only 26.3 minutes. That means they are only 26.3 minutes away from the loving spouse 30.0% of them have.
10. Yor
Population: 11,178
Earners Over $75k: 41.2%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 39.0%
In 10th place is Yor, Indiana. What makes Yor 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 Indiana
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 | Whitestown | 55.5% |
| 2 | Zionsville | 72.6% |
| 3 | Mccordsville | 71.0% |
| 4 | Bargersville | 52.7% |
| 5 | Westfield | 61.4% |
| 6 | Granger | 66.9% |
| 7 | Hunte | 51.9% |
| 8 | Carmel | 69.5% |
| 9 | Noblesville | 52.0% |
| 10 | Yor | 41.2% |
| 11 | Winfield | 67.9% |
| 12 | Avon | 60.8% |
| 13 | Dunlap | 45.9% |
| 14 | Simonton Lake | 36.6% |
| 15 | Batesville | 35.3% |
| 16 | Brownsburg | 47.1% |
| 17 | Jasper | 37.3% |
| 18 | Danville | 50.3% |
| 19 | Warsaw | 31.6% |
| 20 | Columbus | 40.6% |
| 21 | Rensselaer | 31.4% |
| 22 | St. John | 67.2% |
| 23 | Plainfield | 39.6% |
| 24 | Ellettsville | 28.1% |
| 25 | Franklin | 38.4% |
| 26 | Chesterton | 48.1% |
| 27 | Greenwood | 39.8% |
| 28 | Lakes Of The Four Seasons | 60.1% |
| 29 | Hidden Valley | 65.8% |
| 30 | Seymour | 25.9% |
| 31 | Sellersburg | 42.7% |
| 32 | Cumberland | 42.3% |
| 33 | Greenfield | 30.6% |
| 34 | Crown Point | 51.2% |
| 35 | Nappanee | 26.0% |
| 36 | Columbia City | 26.3% |
| 37 | Lebanon | 31.7% |
| 38 | Lowell | 40.0% |
| 39 | Greensburg | 27.9% |
| 40 | West Lafayette | 28.7% |
| 41 | Hobart | 36.9% |
| 42 | Munster | 53.5% |
| 43 | Bright | 48.2% |
| 44 | New Whiteland | 33.7% |
| 45 | Auburn | 27.9% |
| 46 | Lawrence | 35.9% |
| 47 | New Haven | 25.8% |
| 48 | Mount Vernon | 34.4% |
| 49 | Fort Wayne | 28.3% |
| 50 | North Manchester | 29.6% |
| 51 | Cedar Lake | 42.6% |
| 52 | Dyer | 58.5% |
| 53 | Goshen | 22.8% |
| 54 | Tell City | 24.2% |
| 55 | Mooresville | 30.5% |
| 56 | Crawfordsville | 23.7% |
| 57 | Valparaiso | 37.0% |
| 58 | Huntingburg | 27.2% |
| 59 | Bluffton | 25.7% |
| 60 | Shelbyville | 28.3% |
| 61 | Boonville | 25.4% |
| 62 | Bloomington | 22.9% |
| 63 | Tipton | 28.7% |
| 64 | Highland | 41.8% |
| 65 | Portage | 36.2% |
| 66 | Schererville | 45.8% |
| 67 | Speedway | 25.7% |
| 68 | Madison | 26.4% |
| 69 | Jeffersonville | 33.6% |
| 70 | Brazil | 22.3% |
| 71 | Huntington | 21.1% |
| 72 | Vincennes | 21.0% |
| 73 | Angola | 21.9% |
| 74 | South Haven | 27.9% |
| 75 | Rushville | 26.0% |
| 76 | Indianapolis | 28.7% |
| 77 | Gas City | 18.4% |
| 78 | Bedford | 23.1% |
| 79 | Griffith | 41.0% |
| 80 | Plymouth | 17.0% |
| 81 | Kokomo | 26.5% |
| 82 | Lafayette | 22.4% |
| 83 | Princeton | 22.8% |
| 84 | Washington | 23.8% |
| 85 | Merrillville | 36.1% |
| 86 | Hartford City | 21.1% |
| 87 | Scottsburg | 25.6% |
| 88 | New Albany | 26.4% |
| 89 | South Bend | 21.9% |
| 90 | Greencastle | 22.7% |
| 91 | Charlestown | 27.8% |
| 92 | Monticello | 19.9% |
| 93 | Decatur | 20.2% |
| 94 | Richmond | 20.9% |
| 95 | Beech Grove | 22.1% |
| 96 | Elkhart | 18.8% |
| 97 | Alexandria | 28.1% |
| 98 | Mishawaka | 22.2% |
| 99 | Kendallville | 19.9% |
| 100 | Wabash | 18.6% |
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.
