Are you living in one of the most unhappy places in Florida? Only 33% of people in Florida say they are truly happy. That’s unfortunate, especially because people in Florida generally have a relatively good situation overall.
We were curious to know which cities in Florida are considered the most miserable. We are going to discover the answer by using Saturday Night Science and data. After studying the 221 biggest cities, we unfortunately reveal the most unhappy cities in the state known for its sunny weather.
Most Miserable Places In Florida for 2024
Palm Springs
Population: 26,611
Poverty Level: 12.8%
Median Home Price $183,200
Married Households 4.0%
Households With Kids 35.59%
Davenport
Population: 9,049
Poverty Level: 9.8%
Median Home Price $234,600
Married Households 7.0%
Households With Kids 42.86%
Pembroke Park
Population: 6,269
Poverty Level: 27.5%
Median Home Price $0
Married Households 2.0%
Households With Kids 31.39%
North Miami Beach
Population: 43,357
Poverty Level: 12.0%
Median Home Price $230,800
Married Households 4.0%
Households With Kids 34.32%
Florida City
Population: 12,844
Poverty Level: 31.9%
Median Home Price $196,100
Married Households 10.0%
Households With Kids 53.68%
Lauderhill
Population: 73,935
Poverty Level: 19.3%
Median Home Price $190,800
Married Households 6.0%
Households With Kids 33.47%
Haines City
Population: 26,510
Poverty Level: 19.7%
Median Home Price $177,900
Married Households 7.0%
Households With Kids 34.79%
South Bay
Population: 6,284
Poverty Level: 25.0%
Median Home Price $99,900
Married Households 10.0%
Households With Kids 44.67%
Also read: Study Reveals the Safest Neighborhoods in Atlanta for 2024
Method to Find the Most Miserable Cities In The Sunshine State
In order to determine the unhappiest places in Florida, we needed to identify the factors that contribute to people’s happiness. It’s not hard to imagine that people who are happy tend to have high salaries, experience less stress, and have a stable home life.
We looked at the American Community Survey 2017-2021 report from the Census to find out about happiness. Then we used Saturday Night Science to rearrange the list and get the answer.
Here are the criteria we used to measure misery:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of families with kids
- Poverty rate
Once we determined the criteria, we collected data for the 221 locations in Florida that have a population of over 5,000 people. We assigned a ranking from one to 221 for each place based on seven criteria. A score of one indicated the most miserable place. In case of ties, the larger place was given priority.
Afterwards, we calculated the average of the seven rankings to create a Miserable Index for each place. The place with the lowest overall Miserable Index was given the title “Most Miserable City In Florida.” If you want to see the full list of states ranked from most miserable to happiest, just scroll down to the bottom of this post to find the complete chart. We have revised this article for 2023, and this is our tenth time ranking the most unhappy cities in Florida.
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