SC has one of the 15 happiest cities in the US, study shows. Here’s where and why

One South Carolina city was recently named among the top 20 happiest cities in the United States.

Personal finance company WalletHub ranked Charleston No. 14. It’s the only city in the Southeast in the top 20. Columbia was listed as No. 102.

The top three cities are in California: Fremont where nearly 80% of households have an income above $75,000; San Jose with the longest average life expectancy in the country and Irvine, where more than 88% of adults report having good or better health.

WalletHub compared 182 of the largest cities on emotional and physical well-being, income and employment and community and environment.

Charleston ranked 20th on well-being, 9th on income and 48th on community.

Columbia ranked 109th, 69th and 80th respectively.

The company studied 29 indicators of happiness, “ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day.

“For years, researchers have studied the science of happiness and found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being,” WalletHub said.

We examined each city based on 29 key indicators of happiness, ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day.”

Charleston has been included on numerous best of lists, especially by national magazines such as Travel + Leisure and House Beautiful.

Last year the city was listed on Liveability’s best 100 places to live in the United States and offered a description of why a city was chosen.

LIveability scored Charleston 733, compared to Carmel, Indiana’s 875, the top score among the 100 cities chosen.

Charleston, South Carolina’s oldest city, is a major tourist destination as well as one of the major shipping ports in the country.

“You can live your best coastal life here sailing in Charleston Harbor, shucking and slurping oysters to your heart’s content and heading to nearby beaches for a day in the sun,” the company said.

Also last year, Charleston was named the most popular city in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers.

The College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis estimates tourism generated $13.1 billion for the Greater Charleston Area in 2023.

Southern Living gave Charleston the top spot in the South’s Best Awards for the eighth consecutive year in 2024.

Late last year, WalletHub ranked the happiest states. Hawaii came in first. South Carolina was No. 11.

“The happiest states are those that provide above-average quality of life in a wide variety of areas, from strong state economies and high quality physical and mental health care to adequate amounts of leisure time and good weather,” WalletHub said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM.