Coincidentally, I’ve visited 7 out of these 10 places in the past year. These places share a commitment to public parks and bike lanes, and active citizens with low rates of obesity, smoking, and chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. The annual American Fitness Index (AFI) was also an indicating factor. Full story here.

• Washington DC
• Boston
• Minneapolis / St. Paul
• Seattle
• Portland, Oregon
• Denver
• Sacramento
• San Francisco
• Hartford, Connecticut 
• Austin, Texas

Luxembourg is the only country that tops the U.S. in pure wealth. However, when measured on citizens’ overall “Joy of Life”, as determined by “life satisfaction”, work-life balance, and sense of community, the U.S. ranks 17th.

Of course any statistical analysis begs a discussion of context, framing, and completeness. The three economists commissioned by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 — Joseph Stiglitz, Amrtya Sen, (both Noble Prize winners) and Jean-Paul Fitoussi — readily admit that “What we measure affects what we do, and if our measurements are flawed, decisions may be distorted.” Which is why they included both objective and subjective factors spanning life expectancy, unemployment, income, and perception of health.

Based upon this cross-section of indicators, the top ten happiest countries are: 

1. Denmark 2. Canada 3. Norway 4. Australia 5. The Netherlands 6. Sweden 7. Switzerland 8. Finland 9. Israel 10. Austria

Read More in the Atlantic’s Article.