Boulder is America's happiest city, Colorado 5th happiest state, says Gallup Well-Being survey

The Daily Beast recently dubbed Denver America's angriest city -- but there's a lot of happiness nearby. Last year, Boulder was dubbed the happiest U.S. city in a Gallup Well-Being Index survey, and the community has repeated the feat. But that's not all. Look below to see other Colorado cities...

By Michael Roberts

October 26, 2011

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The Daily Beast recently dubbed Denver America's angriest city -- but there's a lot of happiness nearby. Last year, Boulder was dubbed the happiest U.S. city in a Gallup Well-Being Index survey, and the community has repeated the feat. But that's not all. Look below to see other Colorado cities that made the list, as well as to find out how the state faired overall -- and why we've got some mighty happy congressional districts, too. Happiest cities: Yes, Boulder finished on top in the survey, which is based on 2010 data (just as the previous year's rankings were determined using info from 2009). But another Colorado metro area also finished in the top three -- and the second and fourth-place finishers are in neighboring states. The list:

10. WashingtonArlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 9. Bridgeport-StamfordNorwalk, CT 8. Gainesville, FL 7. Cedar Rapids, IA 6. Madison, WI 5. Honolulu, HI 4. Provo-Orem, UT 3. Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 2. Lincoln, NE 1. Boulder, CO

Three other Colorado cities also turn up on the list, which (strangely) tops out at 188. They are:

164. Greeley, CO 75. Colorado Springs, CO 36. Denver-Aurora, CO

Page down for state rankings: Happiest states: Colorado is officially the fifth happiest state according to the survey. Here's the top ten:

10. Nebraska 9. Connecticut 8. Utah 7. South Dakota 6. Minnesota 5. Colorado 4. Alaska 3. North Dakota 2. Wyoming 1. Hawaii

Other data shows that Colorado is actually in a tie with Minnesota and South Dakota for an overall well-being number. The following graphic shows those digits and offers insight about what factors Gallup considers when determining well-being.

Page down to see top congressional districts, plus a copy of the entire survey: Happiest congressional districts: Colorado District 2 -- the area that includes Boulder and is represented by Jared Polis -- was deemed to be the third happiest district in the country. Here's that countdown.

10. MN-0 9. HI-02 8. NC-04 7. WA-08 6. VA-08 5. GA-06 4. HI-01 3. CO-02 2. CA-36 1. CA-14

All the other Colorado congressional districts place as well -- although some denote more happiness than others. Here's how they crossed the line:

220. CO-07 203. CO-03 119. CO-5 107. CO-01 91. CO-04 27. CO-06

Here's the entire report, which can also be accessed by clicking here.

State of Well Being 2010

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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