Well, another study has come out that seems to paint a picture of Detroit that we don’t necessarily think is accurate: Detroit is listed in last place of WalletHub’s recent study on happiest places to live in America. While we don’t necessarily agree with the findings of the study, we do think it’s important to acknowledge and understand how they came to the conclusion that they did, so without further ado, let’s get into why Detroit is ranked the least happy city in America.
How Detroit ranked last in the study of happiest places to live in America
The recent study, which was just published recently on February 27th of this year, measured the 182 largest cities in the country across three key dimensions:
- Emotion & Physical Well-Being
- Income & Employment
- Community & Environment
The study claims that across these three dimensions, there were a total of 29 separate variable metrics that were analyzed, measured, and ultimately each given a numerical score the total of which would be up to 100.
The first dimension, “Emotion & Physical Well-Being”, had a total possible amount of 50 points, which was split amongst 11 different variables, some of which carried more weight than others. These variables included topics like average food insecurity, life expectancy, depression rate, and sports participation rate, just to name a few. In this dimension, between Detroit and the other 181 cities in the study, Detroit ranked at 180, making it the third worst on the list in terms of emotional and physical well-being.
The second dimension, “Income & Employment”, had a total possible score of 25 points, which was also split amongst 11 unique variables, again with some carrying more weight than others. These variables included things like average household income, job satisfaction, poverty rate, unemployment rate, commute time, and a few others as well. In the second dimension, Detroit managed to rank in the very last place in the study, being listed as the 182nd city (last) in the order when ranking happiest places to live in terms of income and employment.
The third and final dimension, “Community & Environment” was also worth a total of 25 points, but this dimension was only comprised of seven separate metrics. This dimension focused on factors like separation & divorce rates, ideal weather frequency, and amount of public park space for residents to use, just to share a few examples to give you a reference. In the third and final dimension of the study’s focus, “Community & Environment”, Detroit managed its best score yet, ranking at a modest 176 out of all 182 cities observed in the study.
Conclusion of the study and takeaways for Detroit
Unfortunately, as the study measured and interpreted well-sourced and defined data, there’s little debate that can be said as far as the study’s methodology can be concerned, aside from the fact that we simply do not agree. Overall, according to the study, Detroit scored a total of 31.43 out of 100, making it the single most unhappy place to live in the entire country, a conclusion that we acknowledge but do not agree with!
Detroit has a lot to look forward to, whether it be the grand reopening of the newly renovated Michigan Central Station or even the upcoming NFL draft being hosted here in Detroit, there are a lot of great things happening to our city that cannot and should not be overlooked!