May 26, 2016

National study has folks in Chester County smiling

Montgomery County, North Jersey counties also make rankings

By Daniel Craig
PhillyVoice Staff

It's not like Chester County residents needed another study to remind them how wonderful their home county is (there have been plenty), but there's a new one that does just that.

SmartAsset, a financial technology software company, released rankings of the happiest counties in America on Wednesday. Chester County came in fourth.

SmartAsset/Source

A map showing the top 10 happiest counties in America, according to rankings from SmartAsset

Here's SmartAsset's assessment of why it is such a happy place:

Located in the greater Philadelphia area, Chester County boasts an income ratio of 2.3 and an average life expectancy over 80. It’s the highest-income county in Pennsylvania. No wonder its roughly 500,000 residents are a happy bunch.

Loudon County, Virginia, finished first, followed by Fairfax County, Virginia, and Carver County, Minnesota.

Three North Jersey counties also made the top 10: Hunterdon (fifth), Morris (sixth) and Somerset (ninth). Another Philly suburb, Montgomery County, also ranked high, coming in 23rd.

SmartAsset.com/Source

SmartAsset's rankings of the happiest counties in America.

SmartAsset says it weighed eight factors in determining the rankings: life expectancy, physical activity, income, cost of living, divorce rates and marriage, unemployment and bankruptcy filings.

You can find more on the study's methodology here.