Do you live in one of the most miserable places in California?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in California – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which California cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Golden State:
- Westmont
- Muscoy
- Cudahy
- Good Hope
- West Modesto
- Mendota (Photos)
- Willowbrook
- Desert Hot Springs (Photos)
- Huntington Park (Photos)
- Florence-Graham (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Los Altos is the happiest place in California.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In California
In order to rank the unhappiest places in California, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in California with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 650 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In California’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Westmont
Population: 30,835
People Who Own Their Home: 29.13%
Married Adults: 27.18%
2. Muscoy
Population: 11,674
People Who Own Their Home: 47.33%
Married Adults: 37.5%
3. Cudahy
Population: 24,073
People Who Own Their Home: 16.83%
Married Adults: 38.15%
4. Good Hope
Population: 8,911
People Who Own Their Home: 52.67%
Married Adults: 38.59%
5. West Modesto
Population: 5,534
People Who Own Their Home: 43.48%
Married Adults: 35.24%
6. Mendota
Population: 11,360
People Who Own Their Home: 38.14%
Married Adults: 38.89%
7. Willowbrook
Population: 20,897
People Who Own Their Home: 35.09%
Married Adults: 33.98%
8. Desert Hot Springs
Population: 27,678
People Who Own Their Home: 35.08%
Married Adults: 42.53%
9. Huntington Park
Population: 58,787
People Who Own Their Home: 24.55%
Married Adults: 39.28%
10. Florence-Graham
Population: 62,815
People Who Own Their Home: 33.51%
Married Adults: 37.94%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more California reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In California
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In California
- These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In California
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In California
City | Rank |
---|---|
Westmont | 1 |
Muscoy | 2 |
Cudahy | 3 |
Good Hope | 4 |
West Modesto | 5 |
Mendota | 6 |
Willowbrook | 7 |
Desert Hot Springs | 8 |
Huntington Park | 9 |
Florence-Graham | 10 |
Adelanto | 11 |
Fruitridge Pocket | 12 |
Lucerne Valley | 13 |
Bret Harte | 14 |
Avenal | 15 |
Lakeland Village | 16 |
Huron | 17 |
Bell | 18 |
West Athens | 19 |
East Porterville | 20 |
Bay Point | 21 |
Meadowbrook | 22 |
Joshua Tree | 23 |
East Los Angeles | 24 |
August | 25 |
Lemon Hill | 26 |
Inglewood | 27 |
Bell Gardens | 28 |
San Bernardino | 29 |
Cottonwood | 30 |
San Pablo | 31 |
Mead Valley | 32 |
Lynwood | 33 |
Los Angeles | 34 |
Mecca | 35 |
Maywood | 36 |
Walnut Park | 37 |
Ashland | 38 |
Wasco | 39 |
Cherryland | 40 |
El Monte | 41 |
Hemet | 42 |
Perris | 43 |
Linda | 44 |
Hawaiian Gardens | 45 |
London | 46 |
Compton | 47 |
Montebello | 48 |
Parlier | 49 |
Paramount | 50 |
Lawndale | 51 |
Earlimart | 52 |
Midway City | 53 |
South Gate | 54 |
Los Banos | 55 |
Big Bear City | 56 |
Long Beach | 57 |
Victorville | 58 |
Arcata | 59 |
Hesperia | 60 |
Lennox | 61 |
Parkway | 62 |
Firebaugh | 63 |
Taft | 64 |
Orange Cove | 65 |
Clearlake | 66 |
Lamont | 67 |
Oildale | 68 |
Chowchilla | 69 |
Strathmore | 70 |
Jamestown | 71 |
Colton | 72 |
Pomona | 73 |
Florin | 74 |
Santa Ana | 75 |
Newman | 76 |
Desert Edge | 77 |
Orosi | 78 |
National City | 79 |
Hawthorne | 80 |
South Monrovia Island | 81 |
Lake Los Angeles | 82 |
Arvin | 83 |
Rialto | 84 |
Marina Del Rey | 85 |
Moreno Valley | 86 |
Bloomington | 87 |
California City | 88 |
South El Monte | 89 |
Marysville | 90 |
Oakland | 91 |
Vallejo | 92 |
Azusa | 93 |
Richmond | 94 |
Commerce | 95 |
East Rancho Dominguez | 96 |
El Cajon | 97 |
Stockton | 98 |
San Jacinto | 99 |
Imperial Beach | 100 |
Homeland | 101 |
West Rancho Dominguez | 102 |
Corcoran | 103 |
Calexico | 104 |
La Puente | 105 |
Bellflower | 106 |
Lindsay | 107 |
Fresno | 108 |
East Hemet | 109 |
West Hollywood | 110 |
Palmdale | 111 |
Riverside | 112 |
Sun Village | 113 |
Ontario | 114 |
Montclair | 115 |
Stanton | 116 |
North Fair Oaks | 117 |
Merced | 118 |
Salinas | 119 |
Parkwood | 120 |
Baldwin Park | 121 |
Twin Lakes | 122 |
Madera | 123 |
Soledad | 124 |
Palm Springs | 125 |
Yucca Valley | 126 |
Waterford | 127 |
Winton | 128 |
Calipatria | 129 |
Willows | 130 |
San Francisco | 131 |
Delano | 132 |
Pittsburg | 133 |
Watsonville | 134 |
Lancaster | 135 |
Mcfarland | 136 |
Oceano | 137 |
Alondra Park | 138 |
North Highlands | 139 |
Berkeley | 140 |
Monterey Park | 141 |
King City | 142 |
Barstow | 143 |
Crescent City | 144 |
Dinuba | 145 |
Alhambra | 146 |
Valle Vista | 147 |
Eureka | 148 |
Crestline | 149 |
Sacramento | 150 |
Home Gardens | 151 |
Corning | 152 |
Escondido | 153 |
Selma | 154 |
Pasadena | 155 |
Olivehurst | 156 |
Mountain View | 157 |
Downey | 158 |
Costa Mesa | 159 |
Rosemead | 160 |
Blythe | 161 |
East Palo Alto | 162 |
South San Jose Hills | 163 |
San Luis Obispo | 164 |
Fullerton | 165 |
Foothill Farms | 166 |
Farmersville | 167 |
Isla Vista | 168 |
Santa Cruz | 169 |
Marina | 170 |
Grass Valley | 171 |
South Oroville | 172 |
Atwater | 173 |
Riverdale | 174 |
Fontana | 175 |
Port Hueneme | 176 |
El Centro | 177 |
San Fernando | 178 |
Signal Hill | 179 |
Lompoc | 180 |
Lomita | 181 |
Bostonia | 182 |
South Lake Tahoe | 183 |
Santa Monica | 184 |
Red Bluff | 185 |
Keyes | 186 |
Emeryville | 187 |
Ukiah | 188 |
Arden-Arcade | 189 |
Greenfield | 190 |
Chico | 191 |
Goshen | 192 |
Oroville | 193 |
Burbank | 194 |
Modesto | 195 |
Coachella | 196 |
Tipton | 197 |
Lemon Grove | 198 |
Citrus | 199 |
Live Oak | 200 |
Country Club | 201 |
Wheatland | 202 |
Big Bear Lake | 203 |
Santa Paula | 204 |
Anaheim | 205 |
Rohnert Park | 206 |
Gridley | 207 |
Hughson | 208 |
Cathedral City | 209 |
Hayward | 210 |
San Diego | 211 |
Holtville | 212 |
Grover Beach | 213 |
Rosamond | 214 |
Brawley | 215 |
Jackson | 216 |
Vista | 217 |
Anderson | 218 |
Capitola | 219 |
Susanville | 220 |
Seaside | 221 |
Upland | 222 |
Ceres | 223 |
Thousand Palms | 224 |
Lake Elsinore | 225 |
Santa Barbara | 226 |
Whittier | 227 |
Yreka | 228 |
Placerville | 229 |
Sanger | 230 |
Castroville | 231 |
Porterville | 232 |
Antioch | 233 |
La Mesa | 234 |
Patterson | 235 |
Davis | 236 |
Woodlake | 237 |
Rosemont | 238 |
Bermuda Dunes | 239 |
Livingston | 240 |
Shafter | 241 |
San Gabriel | 242 |
Santa Maria | 243 |
West Puente Valley | 244 |
Oceanside | 245 |
Tehachapi | 246 |
Orland | 247 |
Heber | 248 |
Indio | 249 |
Fort Bragg | 250 |
Thermalito | 251 |
Monrovia | 252 |
Pico Rivera | 253 |
South Whittier | 254 |
Rio Vista | 255 |
Magalia | 256 |
Santa Fe Springs | 257 |
Glendale | 258 |
Citrus Heights | 259 |
Loma Linda | 260 |
Carmichael | 261 |
Phelan | 262 |
Lake Mathews | 263 |
Valinda | 264 |
Running Springs | 265 |
Lake Arrowhead | 266 |
Winchester | 267 |
Avocado Heights | 268 |
Banning | 269 |
Quartz Hill | 270 |
Oasis | 271 |
Lincoln Village | 272 |
Rancho Cordova | 273 |
Gustine | 274 |
La Riviera | 275 |
Fallbrook | 276 |
Stanford | 277 |
Pleasure Point | 278 |
Ramona | 279 |
Wildomar | 280 |
West Covina | 281 |
Norwalk | 282 |
Roseland | 283 |
Boyes Hot Springs | 284 |
Rodeo | 285 |
Kerman | 286 |
Apple Valley | 287 |
El Rio | 288 |
Suisun City | 289 |
Burbank | 290 |
Covina | 291 |
Tustin | 292 |
Sausalito | 293 |
Mammoth Lakes | 294 |
Lodi | 295 |
Lathrop | 296 |
Buena Park | 297 |
Coalinga | 298 |
West Whittier-Los Nietos | 299 |
Colusa | 300 |
Oxnard | 301 |
Alameda | 302 |
Yuba City | 303 |
Fillmore | 304 |
Reedley | 305 |
Forestville | 306 |
Georgetown | 307 |
Fowler | 308 |
Westminster | 309 |
Highland | 310 |
Manteca | 311 |
Hollister | 312 |
Redding | 313 |
La Presa | 314 |
Palermo | 315 |
Morro Bay | 316 |
Twentynine Palms | 317 |
Old Fig Garden | 318 |
Rowland Heights | 319 |
Orange | 320 |
Turlock | 321 |
La Habra | 322 |
San Leandro | 323 |
Menifee | 324 |
Duarte | 325 |
San Rafael | 326 |
Cotati | 327 |
Chino | 328 |
Oakdale | 329 |
Beverly Hills | 330 |
Daly City | 331 |
Concord | 332 |
West Sacramento | 333 |
Sebastopol | 334 |
Guadalupe | 335 |
Artesia | 336 |
South Pasadena | 337 |
Alum Rock | 338 |
Antelope | 339 |
Gonzales | 340 |
Contra Costa Centre | 341 |
Bakersfield | 342 |
Rio Linda | 343 |
Mentone | 344 |
Fortuna | 345 |
North Auburn | 346 |
Tulare | 347 |
Charter Oak | 348 |
Columbia | 349 |
Nuevo | 350 |
Ione | 351 |
El Cerrito | 352 |
San Jose | 353 |
Diamond Springs | 354 |
Truckee | 355 |
Healdsburg | 356 |
Los Alamitos | 357 |
Monterey | 358 |
Hermosa Beach | 359 |
Exeter | 360 |
Altadena | 361 |
Malibu | 362 |
San Marcos | 363 |
Woodland | 364 |
Lemoore | 365 |
Santa Rosa | 366 |
Santa Clarita | 367 |
Ben Lomond | 368 |
Corona | 369 |
Vincent | 370 |
Pleasant Hill | 371 |
Interlaken | 372 |
Chula Vista | 373 |
El Cerrito | 374 |
Hanford | 375 |
Hidden Valley Lake | 376 |
West Carson | 377 |
Carson | 378 |
Cherry Valley | 379 |
Carpinteria | 380 |
Del Aire | 381 |
Prunedale | 382 |
Fairfield | 383 |
Dana Point | 384 |
Solvang | 385 |
Paradise | 386 |
Placentia | 387 |
Mckinleyville | 388 |
Hacienda Heights | 389 |
Tracy | 390 |
Napa | 391 |
Shasta Lake | 392 |
Delhi | 393 |
South San Gabriel | 394 |
Yucaipa | 395 |
Pollock Pines | 396 |
Huntington Beach | 397 |
Live Oak | 398 |
Ridgecrest | 399 |
Oakley | 400 |
View Park-Windsor Hills | 401 |
Visalia | 402 |
Redlands | 403 |
Temple City | 404 |
East Pasadena | 405 |
Fairview | 406 |
Rancho Mirage | 407 |
Vacaville | 408 |
Williams | 409 |
Ojai | 410 |
Culver City | 411 |
Laguna Woods | 412 |
Albany | 413 |
Boulder Creek | 414 |
San Martin | 415 |
Three Rivers | 416 |
Calistoga | 417 |
East San Gabriel | 418 |
Pinole | 419 |
Pacific Grove | 420 |
Oak Hills | 421 |
Norco | 422 |
Valley Center | 423 |
Arnold | 424 |
San Dimas | 425 |
La Palma | 426 |
Morgan Hill | 427 |
Brookdale | 428 |
Ladera Heights | 429 |
Calimesa | 430 |
Kingsburg | 431 |
Claremont | 432 |
Riverbank | 433 |
Rancho Cucamonga | 434 |
Larkspur | 435 |
Winter Gardens | 436 |
Irvine | 437 |
La Quinta | 438 |
Palm Desert | 439 |
Fairfax | 440 |
San Bruno | 441 |
Petaluma | 442 |
Beaumont | 443 |
Escalon | 444 |
Temecula | 445 |
Auburn | 446 |
Woodcrest | 447 |
Brea | 448 |
Chino Hills | 449 |
Murrieta | 450 |
Union City | 451 |
Glendora | 452 |
Silver Lakes | 453 |
American Canyon | 454 |
Mira Monte | 455 |
Solana Beach | 456 |
Mission Hills | 457 |
Saranap | 458 |
Soquel | 459 |
Lakewood | 460 |
Aptos | 461 |
Carlsbad | 462 |
Indian Wells | 463 |
Burlingame | 464 |
San Mateo | 465 |
El Segundo | 466 |
Redwood City | 467 |
Diamond Bar | 468 |
Elverta | 469 |
San Lorenzo | 470 |
Redondo Beach | 471 |
Grand Terrace | 472 |
Mountain View | 473 |
Rancho Calaveras | 474 |
Campbell | 475 |
Bonita | 476 |
La Verne | 477 |
Nipomo | 478 |
Martinez | 479 |
Laguna Beach | 480 |
Castro Valley | 481 |
Goleta | 482 |
Santa Clara | 483 |
Torrance | 484 |
Greenfield | 485 |
San Juan Capistrano | 486 |
Golden Hills | 487 |
La Mirada | 488 |
Clovis | 489 |
Arcadia | 490 |
Mountain House | 491 |
Sonoma | 492 |
Spring Valley Lake | 493 |
Walnut Creek | 494 |
Acton | 495 |
Newport Beach | 496 |
Lakeside | 497 |
Temescal Valley | 498 |
Larkfield-Wikiup | 499 |
Casa De Oro-Mount Helix | 500 |
Brentwood | 501 |
San Clemente | 502 |
Fair Oaks | 503 |
Benicia | 504 |
Lemoore Station | 505 |
Orangevale | 506 |
French Valley | 507 |
Alpine | 508 |
Stevenson Ranch | 509 |
Novato | 510 |
Santee | 511 |
Encinitas | 512 |
Los Osos | 513 |
Pismo Beach | 514 |
San Anselmo | 515 |
Imperial | 516 |
Felton | 517 |
Elk Grove | 518 |
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos | 519 |
Cypress | 520 |
Sunnyvale | 521 |
Eastvale | 522 |
South San Francisco | 523 |
Durham | 524 |
Roseville | 525 |
Rocklin | 526 |
Cloverdale | 527 |
Templeton | 528 |
Hercules | 529 |
Simi Valley | 530 |
Belvedere | 531 |
Walnut | 532 |
Lake Wildwood | 533 |
Sierra Madre | 534 |
Topanga | 535 |
Eucalyptus Hills | 536 |
Calabasas | 537 |
Vineyard | 538 |
Fort Irwin | 539 |
Lincoln | 540 |
Discovery Bay | 541 |
Seal Beach | 542 |
Bella Vista | 543 |
Pine Hills | 544 |
Salida | 545 |
Mayflower Village | 546 |
Fremont | 547 |
Cameron Park | 548 |
Laguna Hills | 549 |
San Diego Country Estates | 550 |
Dixon | 551 |
Milpitas | 552 |
Atascadero | 553 |
Newark | 554 |
Pacifica | 555 |
Coronado | 556 |
Montecito | 557 |
Moraga | 558 |
Oak Park | 559 |
Woodbridge | 560 |
Fountain Valley | 561 |
Plumas Lake | 562 |
Millbrae | 563 |
Canyon Lake | 564 |
Laguna Niguel | 565 |
Rio Del Mar | 566 |
Dublin | 567 |
Thousand Oaks | 568 |
Cerritos | 569 |
Greenacres | 570 |
La Crescenta-Montrose | 571 |
Madera Acres | 572 |
Ripon | 573 |
Castaic | 574 |
Livermore | 575 |
Aliso Viejo | 576 |
Agoura Hills | 577 |
Lake Forest | 578 |
Arroyo Grande | 579 |
Cambria | 580 |
Clayton | 581 |
Half Moon Bay | 582 |
Bear Valley Springs | 583 |
Tiburon | 584 |
Winters | 585 |
Sunnyside | 586 |
Menlo Park | 587 |
Rancho San Diego | 588 |
San Ramon | 589 |
Moorpark | 590 |
Belmont | 591 |
Pleasanton | 592 |
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley | 593 |
Mill Valley | 594 |
Jamul | 595 |
Camp Pendleton North | 596 |
Kentfield | 597 |
Yorba Linda | 598 |
Lucas Valley-Marinwood | 599 |
Camarillo | 600 |
Rancho Murieta | 601 |
Corte Madera | 602 |
Loomis | 603 |
Folsom | 604 |
Windsor | 605 |
Manhattan Beach | 606 |
Foster City | 607 |
Cupertino | 608 |
Coto De Caza | 609 |
Mission Viejo | 610 |
East Foothills | 611 |
Vandenberg Village | 612 |
Palo Alto | 613 |
Sleepy Hollow | 614 |
San Carlos | 615 |
Lafayette | 616 |
Kensington | 617 |
El Dorado Hills | 618 |
Rancho Santa Margarita | 619 |
Scotts Valley | 620 |
Rancho Palos Verdes | 621 |
Granite Bay | 622 |
Orcutt | 623 |
Los Gatos | 624 |
Palos Verdes Estates | 625 |
Westlake Village | 626 |
La Habra Heights | 627 |
Ladera Ranch | 628 |
Blackhawk | 629 |
San Marino | 630 |
Desert Palms | 631 |
Alamo | 632 |
Danville | 633 |
Rossmoor | 634 |
Rosedale | 635 |
Poway | 636 |
Camp Pendleton South | 637 |
Alta Sierra | 638 |
Rolling Hills Estates | 639 |
Villa Park | 640 |
Saratoga | 641 |
Piedmont | 642 |
Orinda | 643 |
Woodside | 644 |
Hillsborough | 645 |
Gold River | 646 |
Atherton | 647 |
North Tustin | 648 |
Los Altos Hills | 649 |
Los Altos | 650 |