Where you live can have a big impact on how bright or gloomy your outlook is, WalletHub, a personal finance website, notes in a new report.

So, if you’re looking for a happy place to move or retire, you’ll want to check out northern Europe, Israel, Costa Rica or Mexico for the 10 happiest countries in the world, according to the latest research. The U.S. ranks only 24th on the list.

However, happiness levels are not uniform across the U.S., WalletHub found in a wide-ranging study of large American cities.

The WalletHub report says researchers studying happiness have found that a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being are key ingredients of happiness. Money, however, can make you only so happy.

“Research shows that having more money only increases your happiness until you’re making at least $75,000 per year – anything more you earn likely won’t have an impact,” WalletHub analyst Chris Lupo said in a statement. “Therefore, when deciding where to live to maximize your happiness, you’ll want to pick a city that offers more than just a decent average income.”

In the ideal city, Lupo said, you can find conditions that foster good mental and physical health, such as reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather and caring neighbors.

In order to determine the happiest cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 of the largest ones — including the 150 most populated cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across these key dimensions:

  • Emotional and physical well-being, including physical health index, life expectancy, share of adults with poor mental health and food insecurity rate
  • Income and employment, including income growth rate, job satisfaction, under- and unemployment rates and poverty rate
  • Community and environment, including average leisure time spent per day, ideal weather, separation and divorce rate and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents
Researchers evaluated these categories using 29 relevant metrics, and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness.

See the gallery for the 15 happiest cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub.

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