Looking to make a big career move in 2012? Consider CareerBliss' annual list of Happiest and Unhappiest Cities for Work.
Thousands of employees in the happiest cities say they're most satisfied with the people they work with, the way they work and the work that they do. Employees in the unhappiest cities, however, want to see better growth opportunities, compensation and company culture.
Did your city make either list?
Happiest Cities for Work in 2012
| Rank | Cities | Bliss Rating* | Average Salary | |
| 1 | Miami, FL | 4.140 | $53,764.00 | |
| 2 | Worcester, MA | 4.106 | $54,524.00 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma City, OK | 4.105 | $54,323.00 | |
| 4 | San Jose, CA | 4.073 | $83,088.00 | |
| 5 | Oxnard, CA | 4.072 | $63,527.00 | |
| 6 | Wichita, KS | 4.069 | $57,681.00 | |
| 7 | Killeen, TX | 4.063 | $53,841.00 | |
| 8 | Syracuse, NY | 4.063 | $45,821.00 | |
| 9 | San Antonio, TX | 4.054 | $62,633.00 | |
| 10 | Provo, UT | 4.052 | $46,858.00 | |
| 11 | New Orleans, LA | 4.051 | $58,759.00 | |
| 12 | Washington, DC | 4.046 | $70,346.00 | |
| 13 | Virginia Beach, VA | 4.040 | $61,964.00 | |
| 14 | Palm Bay, FL | 4.031 | $62,127.00 | |
| 15 | New York, NY | 4.026 | $78,404.00 | |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | 4.025 | $70,294.00 | |
| 17 | Houston, TX | 4.020 | $64,792.00 | |
| 18 | Jackson, WY | 4.020 | $52,142.00 | |
| 19 | Bridgeport, CT | 4.014 | $57,991.00 | |
| 20 | Tampa, FL | 4.014 | $58,765.00 | |
| 21 | Los Angeles, CA | 4.011 | $62,349.00 | |
| 22 | San Diego, CA | 4.008 | $67,305.00 | |
| 23 | Durham, NC | 4.005 | $56,173.00 | |
| 24 | Grand Rapids, MI | 4.002 | $54,011.00 | |
| 25 | Philadelphia, PA | 3.996 | $57,592.00 | |
| 26 | Riverside, CA | 3.995 | $56,799.00 | |
| 27 | San Francisco, CA | 3.994 | $83,033.00 | |
| 28 | Memphis, TN | 3.979 | $56,668.00 | |
| 29 | Saint Louis, MO | 3.975 | $66,205.00 | |
| 30 | Stockton, CA | 3.975 | $54,698.00 | |
| 31 | Portland, OR | 3.963 | $66,736.00 | |
| 32 | Columbus, OH | 3.962 | $58,396.00 | |
| 33 | Baltimore, MD | 3.961 | $58,793.00 | |
| 34 | Orlando, FL | 3.953 | $55,754.00 | |
| 35 | Ann Arbor, MI | 3.952 | $60,594.00 | |
| 36 | Chicago, IL | 3.951 | $63,602.00 | |
| 37 | Detroit, MI | 3.950 | $53,199.00 | |
| 38 | Pittsburgh, PA | 3.949 | $57,436.00 | |
| 39 | Phoenix, AZ | 3.934 | $63,409.00 | |
| 40 | Las Vegas, NV | 3.933 | $61,347.00 | |
| 41 | Dallas, TX | 3.932 | $65,271.00 | |
| 42 | Columbia, TN | 3.929 | $58,907.00 | |
| 43 | Colorado Springs, CO | 3.928 | $66,398.00 | |
| 44 | Birmingham, AL | 3.925 | $53,436.00 | |
| 45 | Jacksonville, NC | 3.923 | $44,690.00 | |
| 46 | Akron, OH | 3.921 | $48,927.00 | |
| 47 | Boston, MA | 3.913 | $64,610.00 | |
| 48 | Trenton, NJ | 3.909 | $57,723.00 | |
| 49 | Sacramento, CA | 3.908 | $60,976.00 | |
| 50 | Seattle, WA | 3.906 | $74,841.00 |
Unhappiest Cities for Work in 2012
| Rank | Cities | Bliss Rating* 1=Poor 5=Good | Average Salary | |
| 1 | New Haven, CT | 3.465 | $62,604.00 | |
| 2 | Dayton, OH | 3.669 | $58,160.00 | |
| 3 | Milwaukee, WI | 3.687 | $52,425.00 | |
| 4 | Tulsa, OK | 3.690 | $56,170.00 | |
| 5 | Albuquerque, NM | 3.696 | $60,598.00 | |
| 6 | Fort Collins, CO | 3.700 | $63,256.00 | |
| 7 | Buffalo, NY | 3.748 | $48,648.00 | |
| 8 | Greensboro, NC | 3.783 | $61,748.00 | |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 3.785 | $73,923.00 | |
| 10 | Cincinnati, OH | 3.790 | $60,518.00 | |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | 3.791 | $69,983.00 | |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | 3.793 | $57,331.00 | |
| 13 | Louisville, KY | 3.795 | $57,734.00 | |
| 14 | Richmond, VA | 3.800 | $63,787.00 | |
| 15 | Hartford, CT | 3.805 | $58,808.00 | |
| 16 | Kansas City, MO | 3.811 | $54,909.00 | |
| 17 | Tucson, AZ | 3.820 | $58,116.00 | |
| 18 | Rochester, NY | 3.821 | $57,200.00 | |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | 3.821 | $55,725.00 | |
| 20 | Springfield, OH | 3.831 | $55,523.00 | |
| 21 | Denver, CO | 3.834 | $63,832.00 | |
| 22 | Cleveland, OH | 3.871 | $51,943.00 | |
| 23 | Raleigh, NC | 3.882 | $59,813.00 | |
| 24 | Providence, RI | 3.894 | $51,399.00 | |
| 25 | Harrisburg, PA | 3.895 | $57,487.00 | |
| 26 | Knoxville, TN | 3.896 | $54,793.00 | |
| 27 | Bakersfield, CA | 3.897 | $60,642.00 | |
| 28 | Minneapolis, MN | 3.898 | $66,589.00 | |
| 29 | Nashville, TN | 3.904 | $53,869.00 | |
| 30 | Madison, WI | 3.904 | $62,769.00 |
Methodology
The CareerBliss data evaluates the key factors which affect work happiness, including: one's relationship with their boss and co-workers, their work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, their daily tasks, and job control over the work that they do on a daily basis. The data accounts for how an employee values each factor as well as how important that factor is to the employee's overall happiness. Each review is given an average score indicating where the company places between one and five. All assessments are derived from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. A total of 43,000 employee reviews were used for this report. A minimum of 50 employee reviews was required within each city to be considered for this data set.
* Bliss Rating: Overall job happiness score assigned by employees. Bliss Rating is derived from company reviews which evaluate each of the key factors that contribute to the overall happiness in the workplace.
