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Survey Ranks Where Residents Are Most Satisfied with Their Communities

A new Gallup survey finds 85 percent of Americans are satisfied with the city or area where they live. Compare ratings for each metro area.

Bikers on the Blue Sky trail in Fort Collins, Colo.
Bikers on the Blue Sky trail in Fort Collins, Colo.
FlickrCC/Yann Ropars
In a handful of communities throughout the country, it seems as if nearly everyone is happy with where they live.

A Gallup-Healthways survey published this morning examines attitudes of Americans over a two-year period, finding 85 percent were satisfied with the city or area where they lived.

In 30 metro areas surveyed, at least nine out of every 10 residents reported being satisfied. The Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo., area ranked first nationally, with a satisfaction ranking of nearly 95 percent. Other localities high on the list tended to be out West or in parts of the Midwest. Residents also gave high marks to San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. (94.1 percent), Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. (93.4 percent) and Billings, Mont. (See complete list below

It’s reasonable to assume that, to a degree, the strength of local economies influenced perceptions of survey respondents. Of areas earning top ratings, only the Barnstable, Mass., area is saddled with high unemployment (its jobless rate was 9.1 percent in February).

The Rockford, Ill., area received the lowest satisfaction rating from its residents – 72.8 percent. The area’s unemployment rate is 12.1 percent, one of the highest rates nationally. Just behind Rockford was Stockton, Calif., which faces numerous hurdles after filing for bankruptcy in 2012. Its unemployment rate stands at a similarly bleak 13.1 percent.

Gallup notes that ratings for the survey, conducted from January 2012 through last December, may vary based on overall quality of life factors and job opportunities.

If the satisfaction ratings seem a little high, it could be because of the wording on the survey question. Telephone interviewees weren’t surveyed specifically about government services, but were asked, “Are you satisfied with the city or area where you live?" Many jurisdictions conduct their own citizen satisfaction surveys, which ask different questions to assess the quality of public services.

Gallup reports that the national satisfaction rating of 85 percent has remained consistent since it began tracking the measure in 2008. Some of the lower-rated communities fared better in recent years, though.

Gallup also published data gauging residents’ optimism, asking whether the area they lived was “getting better.” By this measure, the top metro area was Sioux Falls, S.D., at 77.7 percent.

For the most part, residents in areas with higher satisfaction ratings also tended to be more optimistic.

Satisfaction Ratings Data

The following table lists satisfaction ratings for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, conducted in 2012 and 2013. At least 300 adults age 18 and over in each metro area were asked, "Are you satisfied with the city or area where you live?"

Rank Metro Area % Satisfied
1 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 94.9
2 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 94.1
3 Holland-Grand Haven, MI 93.4
4 Billings, MT 93.1
5 Boulder, CO 92.8
6 Provo-Orem, UT 92.3
7 Barnstable Town, MA 92.3
8 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 92.2
9 Madison, WI 91.9
10 Honolulu, HI 91.7
11 Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 91.6
12 Lincoln, NE 91.5
13 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA 91.4
14 Raleigh-Cary, NC 91.4
15 Asheville, NC 91.4
16 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 91.1
17 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 91
18 Olympia, WA 91
19 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 90.6
20 Winston-Salem, NC 90.6
21 Lancaster, PA 90.6
22 Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME 90.5
23 Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, FL 90.5
24 Denver-Aurora, CO 90.4
25 Charlottesville, VA 90.3
26 Bellingham, WA 90.3
27 Naples-Marco Island, FL 90.2
28 Fayetteville, Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 90.1
29 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 90.1
30 Huntsville, AL 90
31 Salt Lake City, UT 89.9
32 Lexington-Fayette, KY 89.8
33 Knoxville, TN 89.8
34 Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC 89.7
35 Ann Arbor, MI 89.6
36 Sioux Falls,SD 89.4
37 Boise City-Nampa, ID 89.4
38 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 89.4
39 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 89.2
40 Austin-Round Rock, TX 89.2
41 Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC 89.1
42 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 88.8
43 Manchester-Nashua, NH 88.8
44 Savannah, GA 88.6
45 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 88.6
46 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 88.4
47 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 88.4
48 San Antonio, TX 88.3
49 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 88.3
50 Salem, OR 88.3
51 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 88.2
52 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 88
53 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH 88
54 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 87.9
55 Oklahoma City, OK 87.8
56 Springfield, MO 87.8
57 Greensboro-High Point, NC 87.8
58 Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 87.8
59 Anchorage, AK 87.7
60 York-Hanover, PA 87.7
61 Medford, OR 87.6
62 Spokane, WA 87.6
63 Colorado Springs, CO 87.5
64 Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 87.4
65 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 87.4
66 Lafayette, LA 87.3
67 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 87
68 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 87
69 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 87
70 Charleston-N Charleston-Summerville, SC 86.8
71 Richmond, VA 86.8
72 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 86.8
73 Spartanburg, SC 86.6
74 Columbus, OH 86.6
75 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 86.6
76 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 86.6
77 Wilmington, NC 86.5
78 Wichita, KS 86.4
79 Green Bay, WI 86.4
80 Roanoke, VA 86.3
81 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 86.2
82 Fort Smith, AR-OK 86.1
83 Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 86.1
84 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 86.1
85 Pittsburgh, PA 86.1
86 Reno-Sparks, NV 86.1
87 Eugene-Springfield, OR 86
88 Duluth, MN-WI 86
89 Durham, NC 85.9
90 Kansas City, MO-KS 85.9
91 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 85.8
92 Fort Wayne, IN 85.7
93 Lynchburg, VA 85.6
94 Evansville, IN-KY 85.6
95 Chattanooga, TN-GA 85.5
96 Rochester, NY 85.5
97 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 85.4
98 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 85.3
99 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 85.2
100 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 85.1
101 Gainesville, FL 85
102 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 84.9
103 Peoria, IL 84.9
104 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 84.9
105 Little Rock-N Little Rock-Conway, AR 84.8
106 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 84.8
107 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 84.7
108 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 84.7
109 Albuquerque, NM 84.6
110 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 84.6
111 Cedar Rapids, IA 84.4
112 Greeley, CO 84.4
113 Columbia, SC 84.3
114 Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 84.3
115 Syracuse, NY 84.1
116 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 84
117 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 84
118 Jacksonville, FL 83.9
119 Akron,OH 83.9
120 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 83.9
121 Topeka, KS 83.9
122 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 83.9
123 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 83.8
124 Canton-Massillon, OH 83.8
125 Tulsa, OK 83.7
126 Dayton, OH 83.6
127 St. Louis, MO-IL 83.6
128 El Paso, TX 83.5
129 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 83.5
130 Springfield, MA 83.5
131 Redding, CA 83.5
132 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 83.4
133 Erie, PA 83.3
134 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 83.1
135 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI 83.1
136 Salinas, CA 83.1
137 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 83
138 Worcester, MA 83
139 Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 82.8
140 Montgomery, AL 82.8
141 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 82.8
142 Port St. Lucie, FL 82.7
143 Yakima, WA 82.7
144 Ocala, FL 82.4
145 New York-North New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA 82.3
146 Visalia-Porterville, CA 82.3
147 Philadephia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 82.3
148 Prescott, AZ 82.1
149 Albany-Schenectady-Troy,NY 82.1
150 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 82.1
151 Clarksville, TN-KY 82
152 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 81.9
153 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 81.8
154 Corpus Christi, TX 81.6
155 Tucson, AZ 81.5
156 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 81.3
157 Fresno, CA 81.2
158 Charleston, WV 81.1
159 Baltimore-Towson, MD 81
160 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 80.9
161 Reading, PA 80.6
162 Baton Rouge, LA 80.4
163 Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA 80.1
164 Tallahassee, FL 79.9
165 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 79.8
166 New Haven-Milford, CT 79.8
167 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 79.7
168 Norwich-New London, CT 79.7
169 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 79.6
170 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY 79.3
171 Modesto, CA 79.3
172 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 79.2
173 Utica-Rome, NY 79.2
174 Mobile, AL 78.9
175 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 78.7
176 Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI 78.5
177 Toledo, OH 78.4
178 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 78
179 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 77.7
180 Fayetteville, NC 77.1
181 Trenton-Ewing, NJ 76.9
182 Columbus, GA-AL 76.6
183 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 74.9
184 Binghamton, NY 74.6
185 Jackson, MS 74.4
186 Flint, MI 74.2
187 Bakersfield, CA 74
188 Stockton, CA 73.3
189 Rockford, IL 72.8

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.
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