Do you want to live in a place where you'll be most satisfied with your paycheck? A new study suggests that you should consider Atlanta, because it's one of the cities where you can be happier with less money.
»RELATED: Georgia among top 10 states that take most from your paycheck
Gallup and Sharecare, a personal health company, came up with its results by analyzing more than 350,000 interviews with Americans to determine how a person's income can affect their daily emotions. Scientists then compared those findings across 12 metro areas where sample sizes were large enough across all income groups.
The study revealed that in Atlanta, happiness peaks for those who make $42,000 a year. However, in Seattle, New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, people must make $105,000 a year to find the same solace.
Researchers also found that the figures vary regionally. Central states make it to peak happiness by $54,000, while it’s $105,000 for the West Coast and mid-Atlantic.
"With some regions, like West, North, Central, and South Central — right in the middle of America — it takes a lot less money to maximize the chance that you'll have a really good day," lead researcher Dan Witters told Time.
»RELATED: Bill to slash state income tax rate moving through the Georgia House
A previous report from 2010 showed that happiness peaks at $75,000 nationally. Witter took this into consideration while making his conclusions.
“The former measures more immediate feelings with questions like "did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?" while the latter gets at long term fulfillment with questions such as "looking back on your life, how satisfied are you?" Witters said.
Want to learn more about the study? Take a look at the map below and the full results here.
About the Author
