The stereotype of the cynical New Yorker just may have some truth to it. A report by the the U.S. Bureau of Economic Research ranks New York City as the nation’s unhappiest city.
Based on a life satisfaction study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in which participants were asked to answer the question “In general how satisfied are you with your life?”
N. Lafayette, La., meanwhile, was rated the happiest city in the U.S., and was one of five Louisiana cities to make the list of top 10 happiest.
But many New Yorkers don’t necessarily agree with the data.
“I don’t think New Yorkers are unhappy,” said William Porter, 45, of Mt. Eden in the Bronx. “New York is New York, people love it, people love to come here, it’s the greatest city in the world.”
“I am happy,” said Allam McKinny, 59, a dispatcher and lifelong New Yorker from Flatbush. “Of course you are going to find people who are unhappy, but I love New York. I have been here my whole life.”
For some it’s all about perspective. Cleveland Spicer Jr. is 52 and unemployed. He was forced to move from New Jersey to Brooklyn after Superstorm Sandy.
Spicer pointed out that New Yorkers live in a city that is free from war and other atrocities that many others in the world face every day. “You gotta be happy, I can’t complain.”
The Ten Unhappiest Cities in the U.S.:
1. New York City
2. St. Joseph, Mo.
3. South Bend, Ind.
4. Erie, Pa.
5. Evansville-Henderson, Ind.
6. Toledo, Ohio
7.Detroit, Mich.
8. Jersey City, N.J.
9. Gary, Ind.
10. Scranton, Pa.
