Fresno is the happiest county in the Central Valley, report says

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Fresno County ranked as the happiest county in the Central Valley, according to a new report released by the California State Assembly Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes.

The report, released to assist legislators in future sessions to increase happiness levels in the state, ranks counties by the life satisfaction of their residents. Fresno County is the happiest county in the Central Valley, ranking 27 on the list and with a life satisfaction of 7.06 out of 7.92.

The happiest county in the state was Alpine County, with a life satisfaction of 7.92.

Happiness experts say happiness can have several benefits on people’s health and their careers because happy people are more productive and better leaders.

“We find that happiness is aligned with specific quality of life ratings. In particular, jobs, leisure, and housing,” said Mark Baldassare, statewide survey director and Miller Chair in Public Policy at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). “In our polling, we also looked at personal finance.”

Results from the PPIC survey in May 1998 show 28% of Californians responded to the survey as being “very happy”, but only 16% of Californians gave the same answers in September 2023.

Baldassare links the decline in happiness to corresponding declines in other sectors. In the Central Valley, the least happy county was Mariposa County, ranking 56 and with a life satisfaction of 6.73 out of 7.92, according to the report.

Other Central Valley counties on the list include:

• Kings County, with a life satisfaction of 7.04.
• Tulare County, with a life satisfaction of 6.99.
• Merced County, with a life satisfaction of 6.97.
• Madera County, with a life satisfaction of 6.92.

The National Conference of State Legislatures describes the Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes as the “first committee focused exclusively on happiness in the nation.”

To read the full report, click here.

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