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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 West Virginia 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 :
- Bridgeport, WV
- Teays Valley, WV
- Cheat Lake, WV
- Cross Lanes, WV
- Brookhaven, WV
- South Charleston, WV
- Vienna, WV
- Hurricane, WV
- Charleston, WV
- Pea Ridge, WV
These are the happiest places in West Virginia. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in West Virginia?
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 32 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. Bridgeport
Population: 8,466
Earners Over $75k: 53.3%
Average Commute: 17
Marriage Rate: 39.0%
Bridgeport is the happiest city in all of West Virginia. What makes Bridgeport residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Bridgeport resident only drives 17.2 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Bridgeport residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Teays Valley
Population: 13,816
Earners Over $75k: 56.7%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 47.0%
In 2nd place we have Teays Valley. Residents of Teays Valley 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 Teays Valley have plenty of them.
3. Cheat Lake
Population: 9,337
Earners Over $75k: 54.6%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 25.0%
Cheat Lake is the third happiest city in West Virginia. Why so happy? 25.0% of Cheat Lake 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. Cross Lanes
Population: 9,619
Earners Over $75k: 40.2%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 43.0%
Folks in Cross Lanes have a lot to smile about. An impressive 40.2% of Cross Lanes households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Cross Lanes can afford peace of mind.
5. Brookhaven
Population: 5,900
Earners Over $75k: 43.5%
Average Commute: 25
Marriage Rate: 32.0%
Brookhaven is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Brookhaven residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this West Virginia city is only $199,600), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. South Charleston
Population: 12,686
Earners Over $75k: 30.4%
Average Commute: 17
Marriage Rate: 35.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give South Charleston a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 30.4% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call South Charleston home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Vienna
Population: 10,446
Earners Over $75k: 35.8%
Average Commute: 18
Marriage Rate: 39.0%
Vienna is the 7th happiest city. Vienna residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 18.1 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. Hurricane
Population: 6,477
Earners Over $75k: 35.3%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 34.0%
Hurricane residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Charleston
Population: 48,734
Earners Over $75k: 29.3%
Average Commute: 16
Marriage Rate: 25.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of West Virginia is Charleston. The average commute in Charleston is only 16.9 minutes. That means they are only 16.9 minutes away from the loving spouse 25.0% of them have.
10. Pea Ridge
Population: 6,215
Earners Over $75k: 29.6%
Average Commute: 19
Marriage Rate: 26.0%
In 10th place is Pea Ridge, West Virginia. What makes Pea Ridge 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 West Virginia
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 | Bridgeport | 53.3% |
| 2 | Teays Valley | 56.7% |
| 3 | Cheat Lake | 54.6% |
| 4 | Cross Lanes | 40.2% |
| 5 | Brookhaven | 43.5% |
| 6 | South Charleston | 30.4% |
| 7 | Vienna | 35.8% |
| 8 | Hurricane | 35.3% |
| 9 | Charleston | 29.3% |
| 10 | Pea Ridge | 29.6% |
| 11 | Charles Town | 48.4% |
| 12 | Morgantown | 30.3% |
| 13 | Beckley | 25.9% |
| 14 | St. Albans | 29.1% |
| 15 | Nitro | 24.7% |
| 16 | Elkins | 23.0% |
| 17 | Fairmont | 26.3% |
| 18 | Wheeling | 27.4% |
| 19 | Dunbar | 25.5% |
| 20 | Buckhannon | 19.8% |
| 21 | New Martinsville | 24.9% |
| 22 | Parkersburg | 19.2% |
| 23 | Martinsburg | 24.3% |
| 24 | Bluefield | 16.7% |
| 25 | Clarksburg | 24.7% |
| 26 | Huntington | 19.3% |
| 27 | Oak Hill | 18.1% |
| 28 | Princeton | 17.7% |
| 29 | Weirton | 27.5% |
| 30 | Grafton | 12.6% |
| 31 | Moundsville | 16.3% |
| 32 | Keyser | 11.5% |
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.
