Good News: Philadelphia Among the 10 Happiest Cities for Workers

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Here’s some unexpected good news for all you hardworking Philadelphians: Our city ranked in the top 10 for the country’s happiest cities for workers, according to a new survey. And note: I say this without a hint of sarcasm.

The survey, conducted by the website CareerBliss, determined work happiness based on several key factors: an employee’s relationship with their boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation and more. Employees were asked how they valued each of these factors, as well as how important each factor was to their overall happiness. Then researchers looked at whether the workers’ highly ranked values were available within their city’s job market.

According to the results of the study, Philadelphia workers are a very happy bunch. (Although, my post-work Septa ride usually suggests a different story.) Other cities in the top 10 include D.C., Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Boston, Houston, Charlotte, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco.

So what makes these cities so happy? Well, the factors of growth opportunities and co-worker relationships both ranked highly in all of the happiest cities. Meaning: A job market that offers room to move up along with co-workers that don’t suck makes for a happy workforce.

On the other end of the spectrum, the unhappiest cities were those in which employees received little reward or support for their work. These cities include Pittsburgh, Miami, Denver, Orlando and Sacramento, among others So if you’re thinking about moving, you might want to go ahead and cross these cities off your list.

What do you think, Be Wellers? Do you buy it? Would you ever have guessed, in a bazillion years, that Philadelphia would be ranked one of the happiest cities for workers? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. And don’t worry: We won’t tell your boss.

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