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
