[adrotate banner=’4′]
Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Virginia?
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 Virginia – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Virginia 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 Old Dominion:
- Bensley
- Petersburg (Photos)
- Dumbarton
- Emporia (Photos)
- Franklin (Photos)
- Richmond (Photos)
- Orange
- Dumfries (Photos)
- Ettrick (Photos)
- Bailey’S Crossroads
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, Wyndham is the happiest place in Virginia.
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.
[adrotate banner=’5′]
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Virginia
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Virginia, 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 Virginia with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 194 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 Virginia’.
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.
[adrotate banner=’7′]
1. Bensley
Population: 5,865
People Who Own Their Home: 35.58%
Married Adults: 35.83%
2. Petersburg
Population: 32,439
People Who Own Their Home: 33.89%
Married Adults: 29.9%
3. Dumbarton
Population: 8,346
People Who Own Their Home: 23.52%
Married Adults: 29.07%
4. Emporia
Population: 5,682
People Who Own Their Home: 34.94%
Married Adults: 36.16%
5. Franklin
Population: 8,534
People Who Own Their Home: 40.2%
Married Adults: 40.45%
6. Richmond
Population: 211,063
People Who Own Their Home: 37.03%
Married Adults: 26.06%
7. Orange
Population: 4,808
People Who Own Their Home: 41.74%
Married Adults: 41.55%
8. Dumfries
Population: 5,122
People Who Own Their Home: 51.26%
Married Adults: 46.08%
9. Ettrick
Population: 5,660
People Who Own Their Home: 47.49%
Married Adults: 20.57%
10. Bailey’S Crossroads
Population: 24,947
People Who Own Their Home: 34.56%
Married Adults: 42.94%
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 Virginia reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Virginia
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Virginia
- These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Virginia
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Virginia
City | Rank |
---|---|
Bensley | 1 |
Petersburg | 2 |
Dumbarton | 3 |
Emporia | 4 |
Franklin | 5 |
Richmond | 6 |
Orange | 7 |
Dumfries | 8 |
Ettrick | 9 |
Bailey’S Crossroads | 10 |
Norfolk | 11 |
Bellwood | 12 |
Fredericksburg | 13 |
Dublin | 14 |
Martinsville | 15 |
Danville | 16 |
Highland Springs | 17 |
Marumsco | 18 |
South Boston | 19 |
Hopewell | 20 |
Montrose | 21 |
Hybla Valley | 22 |
Bull Run | 23 |
Seven Corners | 24 |
Harrisonburg | 25 |
Front Royal | 26 |
Triangle | 27 |
Sudley | 28 |
Yorkshire | 29 |
Pulaski | 30 |
Winchester | 31 |
Portsmouth | 32 |
Newport News | 33 |
Big Stone Gap | 34 |
Roanoke | 35 |
Lynchburg | 36 |
Radford | 37 |
Sandston | 38 |
Blacksburg | 39 |
Wytheville | 40 |
Galax | 41 |
Manassas | 42 |
Louisa | 43 |
Collinsville | 44 |
Rocky Mount | 45 |
Marion | 46 |
Laurel | 47 |
Groveton | 48 |
Cherry Hill | 49 |
Lincolnia | 50 |
Woodstock | 51 |
Shenandoah | 52 |
Norton | 53 |
Bristol | 54 |
Annandale | 55 |
Hampton | 56 |
Charlottesville | 57 |
Woodbridge | 58 |
Amherst | 59 |
Alexandria | 60 |
Lakeside | 61 |
Abingdon | 62 |
Williamsburg | 63 |
Strasburg | 64 |
Dale City | 65 |
Dulles Town Center | 66 |
Richlands | 67 |
Manassas Park | 68 |
Chester | 69 |
Waynesboro | 70 |
Staunton | 71 |
Ashland | 72 |
Buena Vista | 73 |
East Highland Park | 74 |
Idylwood | 75 |
Lorton | 76 |
Vinton | 77 |
Manchester | 78 |
Lebanon | 79 |
Berryville | 80 |
Fair Oaks | 81 |
Lexington | 82 |
West Point | 83 |
Covington | 84 |
Windsor | 85 |
Lake Of The Woods | 86 |
Arlington | 87 |
Springfield | 88 |
Warrenton | 89 |
Meadowbrook | 90 |
Verona | 91 |
Sugarland Run | 92 |
Timberlake | 93 |
Huntington | 94 |
Herndon | 95 |
Falmouth | 96 |
Potomac Mills | 97 |
Suffolk | 98 |
South Hill | 99 |
Bluefield | 100 |
Fairfax | 101 |
Merrifield | 102 |
Colonial Heights | 103 |
Tysons Corner | 104 |
Sterling | 105 |
Madison Heights | 106 |
Smithfield | 107 |
North Springfield | 108 |
Centreville | 109 |
Bon Air | 110 |
Chantilly | 111 |
Salem | 112 |
Elkton | 113 |
Virginia Beach | 114 |
Stuarts Draft | 115 |
Tuckahoe | 116 |
Quantico Base | 117 |
Chesapeake | 118 |
Lake Ridge | 119 |
Fairlawn | 120 |
Fort Lee | 121 |
Woodburn | 122 |
Oakton | 123 |
Reston | 124 |
Neabsco | 125 |
Gloucester Point | 126 |
Chamberlayne | 127 |
Fair Lakes | 128 |
Mantua | 129 |
Rockwood | 130 |
Kings Park West | 131 |
Glen Allen | 132 |
Leesburg | 133 |
Newington | 134 |
Mount Vernon | 135 |
Pimmit Hills | 136 |
Buckhall | 137 |
Hollins | 138 |
Mcnair | 139 |
Franconia | 140 |
Belle Haven | 141 |
Burke Centre | 142 |
Bridgewater | 143 |
Christiansburg | 144 |
Newington Forest | 145 |
West Springfield | 146 |
Brandermill | 147 |
Innsbrook | 148 |
New Baltimore | 149 |
Lake Barcroft | 150 |
Aquia Harbour | 151 |
Kingstowne | 152 |
Lansdowne | 153 |
Gainesville | 154 |
Cave Spring | 155 |
Long Branch | 156 |
Greenbriar | 157 |
Crosspointe | 158 |
Purcellville | 159 |
South Riding | 160 |
Ashburn | 161 |
Montclair | 162 |
Laurel Hill | 163 |
Mechanicsville | 164 |
Burke | 165 |
Dunn Loring | 166 |
Lake Monticello | 167 |
Poquoson | 168 |
Carrollton | 169 |
Vienna | 170 |
Independent Hill | 171 |
Cascades | 172 |
Wakefield | 173 |
Short Pump | 174 |
Linton Hall | 175 |
Countryside | 176 |
Kings Park | 177 |
Lowes Island | 178 |
Mclean | 179 |
Franklin Farm | 180 |
South Run | 181 |
Great Falls | 182 |
Belmont | 183 |
Stone Ridge | 184 |
Dranesville | 185 |
Forest | 186 |
Brambleton | 187 |
Broadlands | 188 |
Cloverdale | 189 |
Woodlake | 190 |
Wolf Trap | 191 |
Floris | 192 |
Fort Hunt | 193 |
Wyndham | 194 |