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Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Washington?
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 Washington – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Washington 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 Evergreen State:
- Moses Lake North
- White Center
- Seatac (Photos)
- Newport (Photos)
- Parkland
- Tukwila (Photos)
- Hoquiam (Photos)
- Bremerton (Photos)
- Shelton (Photos)
- Kelso
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, Medina is the happiest place in Washington.
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.
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How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Washington
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Washington, 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 Washington with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 205 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 Washington’.
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.
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1. Moses Lake North
Population: 4,583
People Who Own Their Home: 26.08%
Married Adults: 32.19%
2. White Center
Population: 27,606People Who Own Their Home: 48.99%
Married Adults: 41.94%
4. Newport
Population: 2,230People Who Own Their Home: 49.38%
Married Adults: 41.36%
5. Parkland
Population: 19,573People Who Own Their Home: 36.59%
Married Adults: 42.51%
7. Hoquiam
Population: 8,560People Who Own Their Home: 53.03%
Married Adults: 39.49%
8. Bremerton
Population: 38,664People Who Own Their Home: 36.95%
Married Adults: 36.52%
9. Shelton
Population: 9,798People Who Own Their Home: 51.13%
Married Adults: 36.84%
10. Kelso
Population: 11,837People Who Own Their Home: 44.52%
Married Adults: 37.38%
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 Washington reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Washington
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Washington
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Washington
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Washington
City | Rank |
---|---|
Moses Lake North | 1 |
White Center | 2 |
Seatac | 3 |
Newport | 4 |
Parkland | 5 |
Tukwila | 6 |
Hoquiam | 7 |
Bremerton | 8 |
Shelton | 9 |
Kelso | 10 |
Everett | 11 |
Midland | 12 |
Airway Heights | 13 |
Cheney | 14 |
Woodland | 15 |
Tacoma | 16 |
Deer Park | 17 |
Lakewood | 18 |
Clarkston | 19 |
Centralia | 20 |
Toppenish | 21 |
Grandview | 22 |
Aberdeen | 23 |
Kent | 24 |
Sedro-Woolley | 25 |
Ellensburg | 26 |
Chehalis | 27 |
Summit View | 28 |
Vancouver | 29 |
Union Gap | 30 |
Sequim | 31 |
Fife | 32 |
Yakima | 33 |
Burlington | 34 |
Pacific | 35 |
Lynnwood | 36 |
Burien | 37 |
Puyallup | 38 |
Federal Way | 39 |
Sumner | 40 |
Bryn Mawr-Skyway | 41 |
Sunnyside | 42 |
Auburn | 43 |
Bellingham | 44 |
Mount Vernon | 45 |
Tanglewilde | 46 |
Longview | 47 |
Country Homes | 48 |
Port Angeles | 49 |
Des Moines | 50 |
Port Orchard | 51 |
Algona | 52 |
Pullman | 53 |
Castle Rock | 54 |
Ocean Shores | 55 |
Quincy | 56 |
Spokane | 57 |
Renton | 58 |
Monroe | 59 |
Leavenworth | 60 |
Yelm | 61 |
Lake Stickney | 62 |
Olympia | 63 |
Hazel Dell | 64 |
North Lynnwood | 65 |
Enumclaw | 66 |
Walla Walla | 67 |
Snohomish | 68 |
Seattle | 69 |
Martha Lake | 70 |
Moses Lake | 71 |
Elk Plain | 72 |
Spanaway | 73 |
Washougal | 74 |
Arlington | 75 |
West Clarkston-Highland | 76 |
College Place | 77 |
Gig Harbor | 78 |
Othello | 79 |
Five Corners | 80 |
University Place | 81 |
Granger | 82 |
Orting | 83 |
Parkwood | 84 |
Pasco | 85 |
East Wenatchee | 86 |
Clover Creek | 87 |
Marysville | 88 |
Salmon Creek | 89 |
Wenatchee | 90 |
Spokane Valley | 91 |
Lacey | 92 |
Shoreline | 93 |
Mountlake Terrace | 94 |
Kennewick | 95 |
Silverdale | 96 |
Frederickson | 97 |
Bethel | 98 |
Bridgeport | 99 |
Battle Ground | 100 |
Orchards | 101 |
Birch Bay | 102 |
Lakeland North | 103 |
South Hill | 104 |
Prairie Ridge | 105 |
Stanwood | 106 |
Port Townsend | 107 |
Dayton | 108 |
Oak Harbor | 109 |
Arlington Heights | 110 |
Indianola | 111 |
Lake Stevens | 112 |
West Side Highway | 113 |
Ferndale | 114 |
Manchester | 115 |
Walnut Grove | 116 |
Milton | 117 |
East Port Orchard | 118 |
Selah | 119 |
Carson | 120 |
Tracyton | 121 |
Rochester | 122 |
Bonney Lake | 123 |
Woods Creek | 124 |
Ephrata | 125 |
Tumwater | 126 |
Kenmore | 127 |
Steilacoom | 128 |
Poulsbo | 129 |
Bothell | 130 |
Picnic Point | 131 |
Edmonds | 132 |
Bellevue | 133 |
Bangor Base | 134 |
Kingston | 135 |
Vashon | 136 |
Duvall | 137 |
Ridgefield | 138 |
Alderwood Manor | 139 |
Rosedale | 140 |
Mead | 141 |
Anacortes | 142 |
Finley | 143 |
Otis Orchards-East Farms | 144 |
Woodinville | 145 |
Summit | 146 |
North Bend | 147 |
Covington | 148 |
Waller | 149 |
Burbank | 150 |
Lakeland South | 151 |
Kirkland | 152 |
Blaine | 153 |
Sudden Valley | 154 |
Fort Lewis | 155 |
Redmond | 156 |
Edgewood | 157 |
Fircrest | 158 |
Lake Forest Park | 159 |
Town And Country | 160 |
Bainbridge Island | 161 |
Graham | 162 |
Three Lakes | 163 |
Maple Valley | 164 |
Mill Creek | 165 |
Lake Tapps | 166 |
Mukilteo | 167 |
Richland | 168 |
Eastmont | 169 |
Bothell West | 170 |
Brier | 171 |
Bothell East | 172 |
Minnehaha | 173 |
Mill Creek East | 174 |
Hobart | 175 |
Maplewood | 176 |
Issaquah | 177 |
Liberty Lake | 178 |
Terrace Heights | 179 |
Mount Vista | 180 |
Lynden | 181 |
Lake Morton-Berrydale | 182 |
Normandy Park | 183 |
Camas | 184 |
West Richland | 185 |
Barberton | 186 |
East Renton Highlands | 187 |
Wollochet | 188 |
Newcastle | 189 |
Silver Firs | 190 |
Snoqualmie | 191 |
Artondale | 192 |
Maltby | 193 |
Dupont | 194 |
Geneva | 195 |
Chico | 196 |
Klahanie | 197 |
Union Hill-Novelty Hill | 198 |
Lake Shore | 199 |
Felida | 200 |
Sammamish | 201 |
Cottage Lake | 202 |
Mercer Island | 203 |
Clarkston Heights-Vineland | 204 |
Medina | 205 |