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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 Texas 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 :
- University Park, TX
- Terrell Hills, TX
- Alamo Heights, TX
- Highland Park, TX
- West University Place, TX
- Fate, TX
- Celina, TX
- Scenic Oaks, TX
- Woodway, TX
- Sienna Plantation, TX
These are the happiest places in Texas. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Texas?
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 399 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. University Park
Population: 24,954
Earners Over $75k: 80.7%
Average Commute: 19
Marriage Rate: 26.0%
University Park is the happiest city in all of Texas. What makes University Park residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average University Park resident only drives 19.8 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most University Park residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Terrell Hills
Population: 5,330
Earners Over $75k: 76.6%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 44.0%
In 2nd place we have Terrell Hills. Residents of Terrell Hills are highly educated, with an impressive 75.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Terrell Hills have plenty of them.
3. Alamo Heights
Population: 8,193
Earners Over $75k: 71.8%
Average Commute: 19
Marriage Rate: 40.0%
Alamo Heights is the third happiest city in Texas. Why so happy? 40.0% of Alamo Heights 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. Highland Park
Population: 9,145
Earners Over $75k: 80.3%
Average Commute: 17
Marriage Rate: 31.0%
Folks in Highland Park have a lot to smile about. An impressive 80.3% of Highland Park households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Highland Park can afford peace of mind.
5. West University Place
Population: 15,619
Earners Over $75k: 84.2%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 22.0%
West University Place is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. West University Place residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Texas city is only $1,055,000), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. Fate
Population: 11,705
Earners Over $75k: 71.5%
Average Commute: 33
Marriage Rate: 37.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Fate a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 71.5% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Fate home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Celina
Population: 9,354
Earners Over $75k: 63.9%
Average Commute: 32
Marriage Rate: 36.0%
Celina is the 7th happiest city. Celina residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 32.8 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. Scenic Oaks
Population: 6,106
Earners Over $75k: 72.7%
Average Commute: 28
Marriage Rate: 27.0%
Scenic Oaks residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Woodway
Population: 8,800
Earners Over $75k: 56.2%
Average Commute: 15
Marriage Rate: 42.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Texas is Woodway. The average commute in Woodway is only 15.8 minutes. That means they are only 15.8 minutes away from the loving spouse 42.0% of them have.
10. Sienna Plantation
Population: 16,996
Earners Over $75k: 72.4%
Average Commute: 38
Marriage Rate: 29.0%
In 10th place is Sienna Plantation, Texas. What makes Sienna Plantation 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 Texas
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 | University Park | 80.7% |
| 2 | Terrell Hills | 76.6% |
| 3 | Alamo Heights | 71.8% |
| 4 | Highland Park | 80.3% |
| 5 | West University Place | 84.2% |
| 6 | Fate | 71.5% |
| 7 | Celina | 63.9% |
| 8 | Scenic Oaks | 72.7% |
| 9 | Woodway | 56.2% |
| 10 | Sienna Plantation | 72.4% |
| 11 | Sunnyvale | 77.7% |
| 12 | Bellaire | 80.8% |
| 13 | Lucas | 82.9% |
| 14 | Trophy Club | 80.4% |
| 15 | Prosper | 79.0% |
| 16 | Buda | 61.3% |
| 17 | Hewitt | 48.6% |
| 18 | Manvel | 68.0% |
| 19 | Lake Jackson | 54.1% |
| 20 | Midland | 53.0% |
| 21 | Colleyville | 82.4% |
| 22 | Fulshear | 88.2% |
| 23 | Coppell | 70.6% |
| 24 | Whitehouse | 46.0% |
| 25 | Mont Belvieu | 58.4% |
| 26 | Timberwood Park | 69.7% |
| 27 | Southlake | 83.7% |
| 28 | Midlothian | 55.7% |
| 29 | Keller | 75.6% |
| 30 | Portland | 46.0% |
| 31 | Robinson | 50.4% |
| 32 | Flower Mound | 77.1% |
| 33 | Lantana | 79.3% |
| 34 | Heath | 78.8% |
| 35 | Pearland | 67.1% |
| 36 | White Oak | 41.4% |
| 37 | Friendswood | 63.2% |
| 38 | Mansfield | 64.2% |
| 39 | Selma | 48.9% |
| 40 | Frisco | 72.8% |
| 41 | Rendon | 53.4% |
| 42 | Melissa | 71.8% |
| 43 | League City | 64.6% |
| 44 | Leander | 60.3% |
| 45 | Pecan Acres | 61.8% |
| 46 | Forney | 57.5% |
| 47 | Nederland | 50.1% |
| 48 | Highland Village | 79.5% |
| 49 | Fair Oaks Ranch | 77.9% |
| 50 | Corinth | 61.2% |
| 51 | Allen | 65.8% |
| 52 | Cibolo | 66.3% |
| 53 | Brushy Creek | 67.5% |
| 54 | Helotes | 78.3% |
| 55 | Fredericksburg | 34.4% |
| 56 | Port Neches | 43.1% |
| 57 | Cedar Park | 65.5% |
| 58 | Rockwall | 58.4% |
| 59 | Atascocita | 62.6% |
| 60 | Murphy | 78.7% |
| 61 | Kyle | 49.9% |
| 62 | Burleson | 51.9% |
| 63 | Wake Village | 34.5% |
| 64 | Willow Park | 73.5% |
| 65 | El Campo | 32.6% |
| 66 | New Braunfels | 44.3% |
| 67 | Savannah | 64.6% |
| 68 | Mckinney | 58.7% |
| 69 | Bee Cave | 58.1% |
| 70 | Providence Village | 60.4% |
| 71 | Pflugerville | 58.7% |
| 72 | Deer Park | 52.6% |
| 73 | Round Rock | 53.8% |
| 74 | Sachse | 65.9% |
| 75 | Roanoke | 53.7% |
| 76 | Lumberton | 47.5% |
| 77 | Saginaw | 57.0% |
| 78 | Red Oak | 45.7% |
| 79 | Wylie | 61.5% |
| 80 | Royse City | 51.4% |
| 81 | Hutto | 49.4% |
| 82 | Rowlett | 63.8% |
| 83 | The Woodlands | 67.2% |
| 84 | Canyon | 38.7% |
| 85 | Boerne | 41.1% |
| 86 | Bridge City | 48.8% |
| 87 | Princeton | 42.8% |
| 88 | Cinco Ranch | 76.0% |
| 89 | Benbrook | 46.8% |
| 90 | Sugar Land | 69.3% |
| 91 | Bulverde | 67.6% |
| 92 | Pleasanton | 41.5% |
| 93 | Victoria | 36.0% |
| 94 | Schertz | 55.8% |
| 95 | Odessa | 41.8% |
| 96 | Lakeway | 74.9% |
| 97 | Little Elm | 62.9% |
| 98 | Andrews | 48.1% |
| 99 | Anna | 58.3% |
| 100 | Waxahachie | 39.5% |
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.
