San Mateo is the Tenth Happiest City in California, Study Says

• The freedom to get another job if the current one is horrible
  
• A decent wage
  
• Not having to get up when it’s still dark 
  
• A reasonable, non-stressful commute

The study used U.S. Census data to determine unemployment rates and examined per capita annual household income when compiling the list.

"We figured that a low unemployment rate means it’s relatively easy to find another job," the findings state.  

It seems that Californians are most happy in one of two regions:  The Bay Area and close to the beach in SoCal.   Six of the top ten cities are located in the Bay, three are in Orange County and one is on the coast, north of Los Angeles. 

As for San Mateo, here's what the study says: 

"Halfway between San Francisco and San Jose is San Mateo, which is home to about 100,000 people. It has one of the higher unemployment rates and commute times on the list, but folks who manage to find jobs seem to get good-paying ones that don’t require super-early report times."

Here's the full list of the Top 10 Happiest Cities in California:

1. Mountain View
2. Santa Barbara
3. Santa Clara
4. Newport Beach
5. Irvine
6. Milpitas
7. Sunnyvale
8. Redwood City
9. Lake Forest
10. San Mateo 

What do you think of the rankings?  Do you agree with the findings?  Tell us in the comments!