Are you happy? If you live in Minneapolis you probably should be, says a worldwide ranking

The Happy City Index judges a city’s quality of life using factors that include governance, economy, environment and mobility.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 12, 2024 at 8:06PM
Minneapolis is ready to throw down over the name "Calhoun" again. Following the lead of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the federal government now recognizes Lake Calhoun as Lake Bde Maka Ska. Swimmers jumped off the raft off Thomas Beach into Lake Bde Maka Ska Monday afternoon, July 16, 2018.
Minneapolis is one of the world's happiest cities according to a global ranking. (Hannah Jones — Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Happiness is in the eye of the beholder, but an annual global index of the happiest cities puts Minneapolis at the very top of its list in the United States.

Minnesota’s largest city joins world-class counterparts such as Singapore and London in an index by the global Institute for Quality of Life, which ranks cities using various factors that contribute to the happiness of residents — or lack thereof. While tops in the U.S., Minneapolis doesn’t appear on the list until the 18th spot.

The Happy City Index categorizes cities as gold, silver or bronze, based on 24 factors divided into five key categories that include citizens, governance, environment, economy and mobility.

What constitutes a city of happy people will differ for a child looking for a good playground, a corporate professional in search of an efficient commute or a senior citizen, the institute said.

“We never create one model of the happiest individual. Our work and experience have allowed us to gain confidence that the concept of a high quality of life is extremely subjective, conditioned by the history, tradition, religion or geopolitical location of the country in which a person lives,” the institute said.

Areas under consideration in the determination of quality of life include education, social inclusion of residents, accessibility of public transport and availability of green areas and access to culture.

Cities are moving landscapes, the index said, meaning each year in a city comes with its own set of highs and lows. Information about public services is verified periodically and the ranking is released annually.

The European cities of Aarhus, Denmark; Zurich, Switzerland; and Berlin, Germany landed in the top three spots.

The U.S. cities of Boston, Baltimore and Washington also scored in the top 100.

about the writer

about the writer

Zoë Jackson

Reporter

Zoë Jackson is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune. She previously covered race and equity, St. Paul neighborhoods and young voters on the politics team.

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