They say home is happiness, but according to the online gambling site Lucky Days, where you live directly impacts your overall happiness. The company collected and reviewed eight quality-of-life metrics and scored them out of ten to establish a Canada happiness index. These metrics were sourced from various places, including the National Statistical Office, Statistics Canada and the Government of Canada.
The metrics include life satisfaction, median annual family income, unemployment risk, average life expectancy, perceived health, perceived mental health, crime rate and air quality. Wondering which provinces scored the highest and where the happiest place to live in Canada really is? Read on to discover the surprising results.
Happy in Quebec
Quebec residents are among the happiest in Canada, reports the survey, with a perfect score of 10 in the life satisfaction category. That wasn’t the only category the province scored high in, however. Quebec residents also scored perfect in unemployment risk thanks to the province’s lowest unemployment rate in Canada (4.5 per cent). Residents also gave the life expectancy, perceived health and perceived mental health categories top scores, making it the happiest province in Canada.
Overall score: 8.63
Beautiful British Columbia
British Columbia is also home to some of Canada’s happiest cities, placing second in the Lucky Days report. That’s thanks to decent employment opportunities and low unemployment (5.2 per cent), plus a high median annual family income of $99,610. Health was the major category holding this beautiful province back from the top spot, however, with residents scoring lower in the perceived health and mental health categories than other provinces.
Overall score: 5.38
Related: These Are The Happiest Countries in the World to Live in 2024
Glowing in Ontario
Rounding out the top three happiest provinces is Ontario. It scored as the safest province, with the lowest violent crime rate in the country (994 per 100,000 residents). It also had the third-highest life expectancy. Where Ontario stumbled was health. It scored the lowest among all of the provinces in both health categories and scored a big fat zero out of 10 in perceived health.
Overall score: 5.19
Making It Rain in Alberta
Alberta is the fourth happiest province thanks to its perceived financial opportunities. The area scored a perfect 10 when it came to median annual family income, which was an impressive $106,960. Unfortunately, residents weren’t as impressed with the province’s air quality or life satisfaction: it scored a respective zero and 0.35 in those categories.
Overall score: 4.73
Pretty Prince Edward Island
When it comes to provinces with the happiest cities to live, PEI rounds out the Top 5. So what boosted the province to the middle of the pack? That would be the air quality, which scored an impressive 10. All of that fresh air hasn’t helped the residents’ perceived mental health, however, which was rated zero.
Overall score: 4.24
Related: The Cheapest Places to Live in the World in 2024
Satisfied in Newfoundland and Labrador
Although Canada’s easternmost province had the third-highest air quality and second-highest life satisfaction score, it only ranked sixth on the report. That’s because of lower salaries, employment risk and overall life expectancy. So, while residents are happy overall, it sounds as though they could use more job security.
Overall score: 4.22
Breathing in New Brunswick
The air is clean, but the salaries need work in New Brunswick, which had the second-best air quality score and the lowest median annual family income. Meanwhile, residents scored the province lower across several other metrics, including perceived health and life expectancy, resulting in a lower overall score.
Overall Score: 4.09
Job Security in Manitoba
Manitobans are having a tough time with reported violent crime this year (2,441 crimes per 100,000 residents), and the province had the lowest score in life expectancy. Bolstering Manitoba to eighth place, however, was the unemployment risk, which tied for the second-best overall. Looking forward, if those jobs provide a higher median annual family income, the province could score higher next time.
Overall score: 4.03
Working It Out in Nova Scotia
Despite the beautiful scenery and high air quality score, Nova Scotia ranked low across the board in almost every other category. Sure, unemployment risk and violent crime rate were average, but income, life expectancy and both health categories were low. In fact, Nova Scotia had the second-lowest perceived mental health score of all the provinces with 0.85.
Overall score: 3.52
Related: The Best Places for Gen Z to Live in Canada
Saskatchewan Named the Least Happiest Province
When it comes to the happiest cities in Canada, Saskatchewan, unfortunately, has the least happy people. Not only did the province score zero in violent crime rate, but it also had a zero in life satisfaction. The province did well in unemployment risk but also scored low in the health categories, life expectancy and air quality, landing it in last place.
Overall score: 3.27
