These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In California

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:

1. Westmont
2. Muscoy
3. Cudahy
4. Good Hope
5. West Modesto
6. Mendota (Photos)
7. Willowbrook
8. Desert Hot Springs (Photos)
9. Huntington Park (Photos)
10. 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	People Who Own Their Home
Westmont	1	29.13%
Muscoy	2	47.33%
Cudahy	3	16.83%
Good Hope	4	52.67%
West Modesto	5	43.48%
Mendota	6	38.14%
Willowbrook	7	35.09%
Desert Hot Springs	8	35.08%
Huntington Park	9	24.55%
Florence-Graham	10	33.51%
Adelanto	11	44.84%
Fruitridge Pocket	12	30.47%
Lucerne Valley	13	53.33%
Bret Harte	14	36.59%
Avenal	15	39.86%
Lakeland Village	16	48.68%
Huron	17	27.84%
Bell	18	27.47%
West Athens	19	43.25%
East Porterville	20	46.19%
Bay Point	21	46.68%
Meadowbrook	22	64.04%
Joshua Tree	23	36.54%
East Los Angeles	24	32.79%
August	25	37.07%
Lemon Hill	26	35.32%
Inglewood	27	33.69%
Bell Gardens	28	21.99%
San Bernardino	29	44.33%
Cottonwood	30	63.4%
San Pablo	31	38.94%
Mead Valley	32	58.46%
Lynwood	33	41.89%
Los Angeles	34	34.6%
Mecca	35	46.32%
Maywood	36	24.76%
Walnut Park	37	46.66%
Ashland	38	30.29%
Wasco	39	47.74%
Cherryland	40	36.44%
El Monte	41	37.55%
Hemet	42	50.72%
Perris	43	59.58%
Linda	44	40.51%
Hawaiian Gardens	45	37.78%
London	46	36.62%
Compton	47	50.9%
Montebello	48	42.63%
Parlier	49	42.64%
Paramount	50	36.62%
Lawndale	51	31.52%
Earlimart	52	39.56%
Midway City	53	36.02%
South Gate	54	45.47%
Los Banos	55	48.53%
Big Bear City	56	25.59%
Long Beach	57	37.56%
Victorville	58	52.33%
Arcata	59	28.51%
Hesperia	60	57.41%
Lennox	61	28.44%
Parkway	62	39.4%
Firebaugh	63	46.68%
Taft	64	48.95%
Orange Cove	65	43.92%
Clearlake	66	44.84%
Lamont	67	38.21%
Oildale	68	38.58%
Chowchilla	69	43.32%
Strathmore	70	35.27%
Jamestown	71	48.39%
Colton	72	45.03%
Pomona	73	49.45%
Florin	74	48.76%
Santa Ana	75	43.83%
Newman	76	50.33%
Desert Edge	77	53.39%
Orosi	78	53.86%
National City	79	29.27%
Hawthorne	80	24.13%
South Monrovia Island	81	66.25%
Lake Los Angeles	82	58.82%
Arvin	83	43.57%
Rialto	84	58.86%
Marina Del Rey	85	5.45%
Moreno Valley	86	57.07%
Bloomington	87	68.12%
California City	88	48.14%
South El Monte	89	46.0%
Marysville	90	34.01%
Oakland	91	36.29%
Vallejo	92	50.53%
Azusa	93	47.75%
Richmond	94	45.26%
Commerce	95	42.22%
East Rancho Dominguez	96	51.41%
El Cajon	97	36.53%
Stockton	98	45.04%
San Jacinto	99	60.27%
Imperial Beach	100	29.64%
Homeland	101	55.56%
West Rancho Dominguez	102	58.77%
Corcoran	103	40.91%
Calexico	104	45.9%
La Puente	105	53.54%
Bellflower	106	36.98%
Lindsay	107	45.19%
Fresno	108	43.61%
East Hemet	109	56.68%
West Hollywood	110	20.22%
Palmdale	111	58.98%
Riverside	112	51.18%
Sun Village	113	70.46%
Ontario	114	50.91%
Montclair	115	55.53%
Stanton	116	46.84%
North Fair Oaks	117	48.03%
Merced	118	38.51%
Salinas	119	40.58%
Parkwood	120	50.97%
Baldwin Park	121	55.8%
Twin Lakes	122	29.95%
Madera	123	44.5%
Soledad	124	51.92%
Palm Springs	125	36.48%
Yucca Valley	126	48.26%
Waterford	127	61.41%
Winton	128	45.08%
Calipatria	129	42.86%
Willows	130	40.68%
San Francisco	131	33.56%
Delano	132	52.34%
Pittsburg	133	53.97%
Watsonville	134	39.57%
Lancaster	135	52.59%
Mcfarland	136	52.58%
Oceano	137	42.08%
Alondra Park	138	51.5%
North Highlands	139	43.96%
Berkeley	140	38.7%
Monterey Park	141	48.1%
King City	142	41.28%
Barstow	143	40.08%
Crescent City	144	26.01%
Dinuba	145	50.27%
Alhambra	146	37.71%
Valle Vista	147	64.28%
Eureka	148	40.95%
Crestline	149	37.86%
Sacramento	150	43.78%
Home Gardens	151	67.39%
Corning	152	36.83%
Escondido	153	46.55%
Selma	154	54.99%
Pasadena	155	40.93%
Olivehurst	156	61.74%
Mountain View	157	49.2%
Downey	158	48.82%
Costa Mesa	159	37.53%
Rosemead	160	45.15%
Blythe	161	43.81%
East Palo Alto	162	34.47%
South San Jose Hills	163	71.09%
San Luis Obispo	164	34.02%
Fullerton	165	50.55%
Foothill Farms	166	51.78%
Farmersville	167	58.13%
Isla Vista	168	2.37%
Santa Cruz	169	39.1%
Marina	170	39.98%
Grass Valley	171	38.2%
South Oroville	172	48.69%
Atwater	173	46.12%
Riverdale	174	50.77%
Fontana	175	62.29%
Port Hueneme	176	38.36%
El Centro	177	44.04%
San Fernando	178	54.46%
Signal Hill	179	44.57%
Lompoc	180	42.39%
Lomita	181	38.47%
Bostonia	182	37.78%
South Lake Tahoe	183	24.12%
Santa Monica	184	24.98%
Red Bluff	185	44.13%
Keyes	186	64.09%
Emeryville	187	32.48%
Ukiah	188	37.88%
Arden-Arcade	189	41.48%
Greenfield	190	43.78%
Chico	191	39.01%
Goshen	192	47.83%
Oroville	193	42.03%
Burbank	194	42.75%
Modesto	195	50.13%
Coachella	196	59.97%
Tipton	197	33.77%
Lemon Grove	198	51.9%
Citrus	199	65.43%
Live Oak	200	64.21%
Country Club	201	55.45%
Wheatland	202	54.78%
Big Bear Lake	203	12.64%
Santa Paula	204	53.82%
Anaheim	205	44.9%
Rohnert Park	206	49.09%
Gridley	207	49.35%
Hughson	208	62.18%
Cathedral City	209	49.83%
Hayward	210	49.9%
San Diego	211	43.91%
Holtville	212	44.39%
Grover Beach	213	36.62%
Rosamond	214	52.52%
Brawley	215	48.28%
Jackson	216	44.59%
Vista	217	47.02%
Anderson	218	47.01%
Capitola	219	38.73%
Susanville	220	44.09%
Seaside	221	35.69%
Upland	222	53.17%
Ceres	223	55.3%
Thousand Palms	224	52.97%
Lake Elsinore	225	59.38%
Santa Barbara	226	36.61%
Whittier	227	54.83%
Yreka	228	44.05%
Placerville	229	47.93%
Sanger	230	54.17%
Castroville	231	39.9%
Porterville	232	53.22%
Antioch	233	56.24%
La Mesa	234	40.99%
Patterson	235	62.09%
Davis	236	42.11%
Woodlake	237	56.0%
Rosemont	238	54.19%
Bermuda Dunes	239	39.26%
Livingston	240	57.04%
Shafter	241	51.08%
San Gabriel	242	46.67%
Santa Maria	243	47.44%
West Puente Valley	244	74.05%
Oceanside	245	51.61%
Tehachapi	246	51.71%
Orland	247	52.05%
Heber	248	51.15%
Indio	249	52.84%
Fort Bragg	250	35.9%
Thermalito	251	64.02%
Monrovia	252	45.91%
Pico Rivera	253	65.3%
South Whittier	254	62.26%
Rio Vista	255	66.35%
Magalia	256	67.56%
Santa Fe Springs	257	55.22%
Glendale	258	34.36%
Citrus Heights	259	52.17%
Loma Linda	260	33.47%
Carmichael	261	50.94%
Phelan	262	61.99%
Lake Mathews	263	70.62%
Valinda	264	74.69%
Running Springs	265	34.43%
Lake Arrowhead	266	26.43%
Winchester	267	76.76%
Avocado Heights	268	75.01%
Banning	269	59.56%
Quartz Hill	270	65.01%
Oasis	271	73.94%
Lincoln Village	272	60.92%
Rancho Cordova	273	50.46%
Gustine	274	57.19%
La Riviera	275	51.04%
Fallbrook	276	53.47%
Stanford	277	26.58%
Pleasure Point	278	44.5%
Ramona	279	57.79%
Wildomar	280	65.89%
West Covina	281	61.63%
Norwalk	282	62.63%
Roseland	283	48.88%
Boyes Hot Springs	284	49.18%
Rodeo	285	59.43%
Kerman	286	49.38%
Apple Valley	287	60.42%
El Rio	288	63.69%
Suisun City	289	59.89%
Burbank	290	39.54%
Covina	291	55.6%
Tustin	292	47.93%
Sausalito	293	40.83%
Mammoth Lakes	294	12.07%
Lodi	295	49.45%
Lathrop	296	66.52%
Buena Park	297	53.85%
Coalinga	298	48.6%
West Whittier-Los Nietos	299	70.64%
Colusa	300	57.66%
Oxnard	301	51.37%
Alameda	302	44.86%
Yuba City	303	52.21%
Fillmore	304	63.84%
Reedley	305	56.36%
Forestville	306	56.17%
Georgetown	307	68.91%
Fowler	308	51.9%
Westminster	309	50.68%
Highland	310	58.24%
Manteca	311	56.12%
Hollister	312	54.73%
Redding	313	48.42%
La Presa	314	58.32%
Palermo	315	70.67%
Morro Bay	316	37.7%
Twentynine Palms	317	26.24%
Old Fig Garden	318	66.84%
Rowland Heights	319	63.76%
Orange	320	55.5%
Turlock	321	49.84%
La Habra	322	54.28%
San Leandro	323	53.34%
Menifee	324	68.76%
Duarte	325	61.57%
San Rafael	326	50.18%
Cotati	327	54.93%
Chino	328	65.13%
Oakdale	329	52.74%
Beverly Hills	330	36.61%
Daly City	331	52.59%
Concord	332	55.54%
West Sacramento	333	50.44%
Sebastopol	334	47.74%
Guadalupe	335	49.06%
Artesia	336	50.0%
South Pasadena	337	40.74%
Alum Rock	338	56.23%
Antelope	339	63.1%
Gonzales	340	51.86%
Contra Costa Centre	341	21.63%
Bakersfield	342	53.09%
Rio Linda	343	70.27%
Mentone	344	55.43%
Fortuna	345	52.84%
North Auburn	346	57.58%
Tulare	347	55.08%
Charter Oak	348	63.19%
Columbia	349	60.69%
Nuevo	350	71.46%
Ione	351	68.41%
El Cerrito	352	75.95%
San Jose	353	55.36%
Diamond Springs	354	66.2%
Truckee	355	32.23%
Healdsburg	356	51.73%
Los Alamitos	357	46.19%
Monterey	358	30.07%
Hermosa Beach	359	39.65%
Exeter	360	55.86%
Altadena	361	67.13%
Malibu	362	52.97%
San Marcos	363	56.82%
Woodland	364	51.98%
Lemoore	365	49.9%
Santa Rosa	366	50.65%
Santa Clarita	367	66.63%
Ben Lomond	368	67.84%
Corona	369	63.35%
Vincent	370	78.92%
Pleasant Hill	371	55.57%
Interlaken	372	67.08%
Chula Vista	373	52.95%
El Cerrito	374	57.02%
Hanford	375	52.44%
Hidden Valley Lake	376	55.22%
West Carson	377	67.26%
Carson	378	72.19%
Cherry Valley	379	72.46%
Carpinteria	380	49.94%
Del Aire	381	65.35%
Prunedale	382	69.08%
Fairfield	383	54.03%
Dana Point	384	50.45%
Solvang	385	48.55%
Paradise	386	62.96%
Placentia	387	63.88%
Mckinleyville	388	57.23%
Hacienda Heights	389	74.18%
Tracy	390	60.7%
Napa	391	52.14%
Shasta Lake	392	58.08%
Delhi	393	69.01%
South San Gabriel	394	68.06%
Yucaipa	395	65.55%
Pollock Pines	396	61.17%
Huntington Beach	397	56.13%
Live Oak	398	58.49%
Ridgecrest	399	52.76%
Oakley	400	71.43%
View Park-Windsor Hills	401	64.73%
Visalia	402	56.36%
Redlands	403	54.03%
Temple City	404	62.77%
East Pasadena	405	59.5%
Fairview	406	75.82%
Rancho Mirage	407	44.14%
Vacaville	408	57.35%
Williams	409	55.89%
Ojai	410	51.25%
Culver City	411	52.73%
Laguna Woods	412	64.32%
Albany	413	43.59%
Boulder Creek	414	67.62%
San Martin	415	72.76%
Three Rivers	416	61.05%
Calistoga	417	53.5%
East San Gabriel	418	54.82%
Pinole	419	68.41%
Pacific Grove	420	39.42%
Oak Hills	421	82.89%
Norco	422	74.37%
Valley Center	423	75.83%
Arnold	424	20.97%
San Dimas	425	67.38%
La Palma	426	70.87%
Morgan Hill	427	69.1%
Brookdale	428	71.18%
Ladera Heights	429	71.67%
Calimesa	430	75.45%
Kingsburg	431	64.07%
Claremont	432	62.06%
Riverbank	433	65.35%
Rancho Cucamonga	434	61.23%
Larkspur	435	43.38%
Winter Gardens	436	53.25%
Irvine	437	46.65%
La Quinta	438	44.33%
Palm Desert	439	37.31%
Fairfax	440	59.24%
San Bruno	441	53.46%
Petaluma	442	62.91%
Beaumont	443	71.05%
Escalon	444	66.53%
Temecula	445	61.3%
Auburn	446	50.62%
Woodcrest	447	83.99%
Brea	448	59.03%
Chino Hills	449	75.26%
Murrieta	450	63.5%
Union City	451	62.37%
Glendora	452	66.29%
Silver Lakes	453	55.86%
American Canyon	454	70.93%
Mira Monte	455	67.79%
Solana Beach	456	50.47%
Mission Hills	457	71.82%
Saranap	458	64.38%
Soquel	459	66.84%
Lakewood	460	68.11%
Aptos	461	62.58%
Carlsbad	462	57.88%
Indian Wells	463	40.17%
Burlingame	464	45.62%
San Mateo	465	50.28%
El Segundo	466	39.95%
Redwood City	467	49.88%
Diamond Bar	468	75.23%
Elverta	469	77.26%
San Lorenzo	470	70.46%
Redondo Beach	471	46.98%
Grand Terrace	472	60.33%
Mountain View	473	39.29%
Rancho Calaveras	474	71.86%
Campbell	475	49.25%
Bonita	476	72.45%
La Verne	477	70.54%
Nipomo	478	67.25%
Martinez	479	62.64%
Laguna Beach	480	52.06%
Castro Valley	481	64.26%
Goleta	482	51.55%
Santa Clara	483	42.63%
Torrance	484	52.25%
Greenfield	485	56.6%
San Juan Capistrano	486	69.61%
Golden Hills	487	57.37%
La Mirada	488	75.88%
Clovis	489	56.73%
Arcadia	490	56.21%
Mountain House	491	71.62%
Sonoma	492	50.89%
Spring Valley Lake	493	56.17%
Walnut Creek	494	60.12%
Acton	495	80.34%
Newport Beach	496	48.39%
Lakeside	497	64.15%
Temescal Valley	498	81.99%
Larkfield-Wikiup	499	63.95%
Casa De Oro-Mount Helix	500	66.62%
Brentwood	501	70.0%
San Clemente	502	57.74%
Fair Oaks	503	62.15%
Benicia	504	64.34%
Lemoore Station	505	0.65%
Orangevale	506	69.1%
French Valley	507	73.1%
Alpine	508	64.43%
Stevenson Ranch	509	66.12%
Novato	510	62.56%
Santee	511	67.16%
Encinitas	512	60.42%
Los Osos	513	59.86%
Pismo Beach	514	36.75%
San Anselmo	515	68.59%
Imperial	516	62.79%
Felton	517	66.51%
Elk Grove	518	67.86%
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos	519	79.99%
Cypress	520	66.53%
Sunnyvale	521	45.0%
Eastvale	522	75.39%
South San Francisco	523	56.91%
Durham	524	67.23%
Roseville	525	60.83%
Rocklin	526	63.01%
Cloverdale	527	60.23%
Templeton	528	69.8%
Hercules	529	74.97%
Simi Valley	530	71.33%
Belvedere	531	66.79%
Walnut	532	81.66%
Lake Wildwood	533	64.98%
Sierra Madre	534	53.1%
Topanga	535	71.87%
Eucalyptus Hills	536	61.95%
Calabasas	537	68.03%
Vineyard	538	73.34%
Fort Irwin	539	1.09%
Lincoln	540	74.57%
Discovery Bay	541	71.6%
Seal Beach	542	65.52%
Bella Vista	543	67.42%
Pine Hills	544	62.71%
Salida	545	72.12%
Mayflower Village	546	72.82%
Fremont	547	60.56%
Cameron Park	548	60.61%
Laguna Hills	549	66.02%
San Diego Country Estates	550	76.96%
Dixon	551	61.51%
Milpitas	552	62.69%
Atascadero	553	59.94%
Newark	554	67.27%
Pacifica	555	64.6%
Coronado	556	37.39%
Montecito	557	55.86%
Moraga	558	79.25%
Oak Park	559	69.4%
Woodbridge	560	65.34%
Fountain Valley	561	69.0%
Plumas Lake	562	78.56%
Millbrae	563	60.98%
Canyon Lake	564	72.63%
Laguna Niguel	565	67.49%
Rio Del Mar	566	57.95%
Dublin	567	60.07%
Thousand Oaks	568	69.23%
Cerritos	569	78.25%
Greenacres	570	74.87%
La Crescenta-Montrose	571	59.84%
Madera Acres	572	77.3%
Ripon	573	65.37%
Castaic	574	77.11%
Livermore	575	66.98%
Aliso Viejo	576	58.98%
Agoura Hills	577	70.75%
Lake Forest	578	67.74%
Arroyo Grande	579	60.71%
Cambria	580	49.46%
Clayton	581	88.44%
Half Moon Bay	582	66.96%
Bear Valley Springs	583	69.99%
Tiburon	584	63.04%
Winters	585	70.07%
Sunnyside	586	76.88%
Menlo Park	587	53.14%
Rancho San Diego	588	67.18%
San Ramon	589	66.54%
Moorpark	590	73.25%
Belmont	591	58.93%
Pleasanton	592	67.21%
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley	593	69.18%
Mill Valley	594	63.59%
Jamul	595	77.89%
Camp Pendleton North	596	0.0%
Kentfield	597	70.26%
Yorba Linda	598	81.61%
Lucas Valley-Marinwood	599	80.79%
Camarillo	600	67.52%
Rancho Murieta	601	88.95%
Corte Madera	602	64.95%
Loomis	603	71.38%
Folsom	604	65.15%
Windsor	605	70.55%
Manhattan Beach	606	60.71%
Foster City	607	56.47%
Cupertino	608	60.02%
Coto De Caza	609	85.42%
Mission Viejo	610	75.39%
East Foothills	611	80.6%
Vandenberg Village	612	68.97%
Palo Alto	613	51.69%
Sleepy Hollow	614	90.74%
San Carlos	615	67.88%
Lafayette	616	71.64%
Kensington	617	82.65%
El Dorado Hills	618	82.49%
Rancho Santa Margarita	619	68.55%
Scotts Valley	620	74.23%
Rancho Palos Verdes	621	76.23%
Granite Bay	622	87.31%
Orcutt	623	73.3%
Los Gatos	624	60.77%
Palos Verdes Estates	625	83.19%
Westlake Village	626	81.89%
La Habra Heights	627	86.12%
Ladera Ranch	628	69.66%
Blackhawk	629	87.01%
San Marino	630	83.16%
Desert Palms	631	69.83%
Alamo	632	86.78%
Danville	633	81.96%
Rossmoor	634	85.4%
Rosedale	635	86.34%
Poway	636	72.84%
Camp Pendleton South	637	0.0%
Alta Sierra	638	78.61%
Rolling Hills Estates	639	86.57%
Villa Park	640	91.6%
Saratoga	641	82.16%
Piedmont	642	84.83%
Orinda	643	88.08%
Woodside	644	77.13%
Hillsborough	645	83.39%
Gold River	646	79.06%
Atherton	647	85.58%
North Tustin	648	89.65%
Los Altos Hills	649	82.65%
Los Altos	650	81.76%