Minneapolis ranked the happiest city in the United States

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis has been named the happiest city in the U.S., according to a recent ranking from the Institute for Quality of Life. 

In this study, the Institute for Quality of Life ranks the happiest cities across the globe on a number of factors, and Minneapolis made it into its “Gold” section of the list, which is the top 37 happiest cities in the world, making Minneapolis the happiest in the U.S. and 18th happiest in the world. 

READ MORE: Minnesota is among the best states in US

The Institute for Quality of Life takes into account five themes when ranking the happiest cities: citizens, governance, environment, economy and mobility. 

The citizens’ theme looks into the educational system, social inclusion, innovation and creativity of residents and access to culture and libraries. Governance analyzes how the city is run and how it affects the residents. While the environmental theme studies city waste management and recycling, anti-pollution, green areas and protection of biodiversity. 

READ MORE: Minneapolis ranks among Best Places to Live by US News and World Report

The economic theme looks into Gross Domestic Product and Productivity, economic development and employment. Finally, mobility analyzes public transportation accessibility and use of information and communication technologies in transport. 

The happiest city in the world, according to the ranking, is Aarhus, Denmark. The next highest U.S. city is Boston, at 38th in the world. 

To read about the full study, click here.