Arlington ranks as No. 2 happiest place in America in new list

Arlington is the second-happiest place in the U.S., according to a new study.

The website SmartAsset ranked Arlington No. 2 on its new list of “Where Americans Are Happiest.” The county is second only to the Bay Area city of Sunnyvale, California, and ranks just ahead of Bellevue, Washington, which also happens to have a major Amazon office presence.

Arlington received high marks for its affluence, health and general quality of live.

While Arlington, Virginia ranks in the top seven across all three categories measured (personal finances, well-being and quality of life), the city ranks highest in the former. Specifically, roughly 48% of Arlington’s residents earn $100,000 or more (No. 5). Additionally, living costs make up less than 35% of the median household income (No. 6). The county in which Arlington is located also has the lowest amount of personal bankruptcy filings.

SmartAsset notes that the county stands out from other places in the top 10 in one notable way.

“Residents who’ve said ‘I do’ make up the majority of the population in all but one city: Arlington, Virginia, where the marriage rate is 44.0%,” the financial site wrote. “Frisco, Texas, which ranks No. 5 overall, has the highest marriage rate study-wide (62.6%).”

The top 10 happiest places in the country, according to SmartAsset, are listed below.

1. Sunnyvale, CA
2. Arlington, VA
3. Bellevue, WA
4. Fremont, CA
5. Frisco, TX
6. Plano, TX
7. Roseville, CA
8. San Jose, CA
9. Santa Clarita, CA
10. Irvine, CA

Hat tip to Geoff Collins