Have you ever wondered where the happiest cities in the Hawkeye State are?  Well, we went to the internet and gathered data from a study done by HomeSnacks, which looked at the 50 largest cities in Iowa and measured their happiness levels based off of data collected from the U.S. Census and FBI Crime Reports.

HomeSnacks took a look at eight categories: percent of residents with a college degree, average commute times, employment rates, cost of living, crime, sunny days, percent of married couples, and percent of home owners to determine the happiest cities in Iowa, which are as follows:

10. Le Mars
Bruce Wicks/Flickr
Located in western Iowa along the Floyd River, Le Mars is a charming city of just under 10,000 people, which ranks #10 for the happiest cities in the state.
9. Sheldon
Jasperdo/Flickr
Also located in western Iowa along the Floyd River, Sheldon is the largest city in O'Brien County, and one of the happiest cities in the state. It must be a western Iowa thing...
8. Waukee
Wikimedia Commons
Located in Dallas County, Waukee is a happy place to be - the eighth happiest in the state to be exact!
7. Bettendorf
Sarah/Flickr
Bettendorf, one of the quad-cities and the fifteenth largest city in the state, is also one of the happiest cities in Iowa.
6. Harlan
jalexartis/Flickr
Harlan, located in western Iowa along the Nishnabotna River, ranks #6 on the list of happiest cities in the state.

Related Stories

Get Off The Freeway And Onto This Scenic Back Road Between Marquette and Guttenberg, Iowa

Get Off The Freeway And Onto This Scenic Back Road Between Marquette and Guttenberg, Iowa

 Explore 366 Acres Of Trails, Waterfront, Flora, and Fauna At Iowa's Otherworldly Lake Keomah State Park

Explore 366 Acres Of Trails, Waterfront, Flora, and Fauna At Iowa's Otherworldly Lake Keomah State Park

 8 Waterfront Retreats In Iowa That Are Perfect For Warm Weather Adventures

8 Waterfront Retreats In Iowa That Are Perfect For Warm Weather Adventures
5. Grimes
Mike Burgher/Flickr
Grimes, which is part of the Des Moines Metro Area, is the fifth happiest city in the state.
4. Ankeny
Wikimedia Commons
Located in Polk County, Ankeny is the fourth happiest city in the state.
3. Urbandale
rachaelvoorhees/Flickr
The third happiest city is Urbandale, which is a short drive away from Des Moines and is home to lots of fun places, like Living History Farms.
2. Sioux Center
Denise Krebs/Flickr
Sioux Center is the second happiest city in the state, and it's easy to see why: they have a low crime rate, high home ownership rates, and lots of sunny days.
1. Orange City
Denise Krebs/Flickr
Orange City, the county seat of Sioux County, is the happiest city in the state. And why wouldn't it be? It's a great place to live! Orange City has the second most homeowners, the sixth shortest commute time, and the seventh most sunny days in the state.

If you live in one these 10 cities, chances are you’re smiling right about now.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles