After $66,750 salary, happinness index goes flat in Houston

A new study has gained a lot of attention that shows after a worker earns $75,000 the measurable effect on happiness of pay increases stops, but that figure may vary widely from city to city.

As our colleague Robert Frank notes on the Wealth Report, $75,000 in New York doesn’t buy as much as the same amount in, say, South Dakota. That got us thinking, if $75,000 is the national average salary level for happiness, what is the variation from city to city?

The list below is an attempt to answer the question, using some back-of-the-envelope math. Based on cost-of-living index values from Kiplinger.com, we calculated what $75,000 would translate into in some of the nation’s largest cities. One note: the number on the Kiplinger chart for New York City was an extreme outlier, so we used a value from a separate Kiplinger report.

No matter which New York figure is used, the city clocks in with the highest level to achieve satisfaction — over $163,000 by our calculation or $300,000 using the more extreme figure. It took the least amount of money to achieve happiness in Fort Smith, Ark., and Pueblo, Colo., at just over $62,000. While New Yorkers might need more to pay their bills, you might argue that they get paid more on average than the rest of the nation. It’s true that New Yorkers on average earn more than most of the U.S., but workers in the city don’t necessarily command the highest salaries in the country.

Happiness Level, by Metro Area

Metro Area State Cost of Living Index Happiness Threshold
Abilene TX 86 $64,500
Akron OH 96 $72,000
Albany GA 88 $66,000
Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY 100 $75,000
Albuquerque NM 97 $72,750
Alexandria LA 100 $75,000
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ 100 $75,000
Altoona PA 100 $75,000
Amarillo TX 89 $66,750
Ames IA 97 $72,750
Anchorage AK 125 $93,750
Anderson IN 100 $75,000
Anderson SC 89 $66,750
Ann Arbor MI 100 $75,000
Anniston-Oxford AL 92 $69,000
Appleton WI 97 $72,750
Asheville NC 101 $75,750
Athens-Clarke County GA 100 $75,000
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA 94 $70,500
Atlantic City NJ 100 $75,000
Auburn-Opelika AL 98 $73,500
Augusta-Richmond County GA-SC 100 $75,000
Austin-Round Rock TX 94 $70,500
Bakersfield CA 105 $78,750
Baltimore-Towson MD 121 $90,750
Bangor ME 129 $96,750
Barnstable Town MA 129 $96,750
Baton Rouge LA 100 $75,000
Battle Creek MI 100 $75,000
Bay City MI 100 $75,000
Beaumont-Port Arthur TX 95 $71,250
Bellingham WA 114 $85,500
Bend OR 100 $75,000
Billings MT 100 $75,000
Binghamton NY 96 $72,000
Birmingham-Hoover AL 90 $67,500
Bismarck ND 100 $75,000
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford VA 97 $72,750
Bloomington IN 100 $75,000
Bloomington-Normal IL 97 $72,750
Boise City-Nampa ID 93 $69,750
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH 129 $96,750
Boulder CO 124 $93,000
Bowling Green KY 89 $66,750
Bremerton-Silverdale WA 100 $75,000
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 129 $96,750
Brownsville-Harlingen TX 86 $64,500
Brunswick GA 100 $75,000
Buffalo-Niagara Falls NY 93 $69,750
Burlington NC 97 $72,750
Burlington-South Burlington VT 129 $96,750
Canton-Massillon OH 100 $75,000
Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL 98 $73,500
Carson City NV 100 $75,000
Casper WY 100 $75,000
Cedar Rapids IA 92 $69,000
Champaign-Urbana IL 98 $73,500
Charleston WV 92 $69,000
Charleston-North Charleston SC 97 $72,750
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord NC-SC 92 $69,000
Charlottesville VA 106 $79,500
Chattanooga TN-GA 88 $66,000
Cheyenne WY 100 $75,000
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL-IN-WI 113 $84,750
Chico CA 100 $75,000
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN 89 $66,750
Clarksville TN-KY 88 $66,000
Cleveland TN 91 $68,250
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH 99 $74,250
Coeur d’Alene ID 100 $75,000
College Station-Bryan TX 100 $75,000
Colorado Springs CO 91 $68,250
Columbia MO 91 $68,250
Columbia SC 95 $71,250
Columbus GA-AL 100 $75,000
Columbus IN 100 $75,000
Columbus OH 94 $70,500
Corpus Christi TX 93 $69,750
Corvallis OR 100 $75,000
Cumberland MD-WV 100 $75,000
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX 92 $69,000
Dalton GA 100 $75,000
Danbury CT 129 $96,750
Danville IL 89 $66,750
Danville VA 100 $75,000
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL 96 $72,000
Dayton OH 93 $69,750
Decatur AL 88 $66,000
Decatur IL 93 $69,750
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL 100 $75,000
Denver-Aurora CO 101 $75,750
Des Moines-West Des Moines IA 90 $67,500
Detroit-Warren-Livonia MI 100 $75,000
Dothan AL 85 $63,750
Dover DE 97 $72,750
Dubuque IA 96 $72,000
Duluth MN-WI 100 $75,000
Durham NC 94 $70,500
Eau Claire WI 93 $69,750
El Centro CA 100 $75,000
El Paso TX 90 $67,500
Elizabethtown KY 100 $75,000
Elkhart-Goshen IN 100 $75,000
Elmira NY 100 $75,000
Erie PA 100 $75,000
Eugene-Springfield OR 111 $83,250
Evansville IN-KY 95 $71,250
Fairbanks AK 134 $100,500
Fargo ND-MN 92 $69,000
Farmington NM 96 $72,000
Fayetteville NC 97 $72,750
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR-MO 89 $66,750
Flagstaff AZ 116 $87,000
Flint MI 100 $75,000
Florence SC 90 $67,500
Florence-Muscle Shoals AL 88 $66,000
Fond du Lac WI 100 $75,000
Fort Collins-Loveland CO 91 $68,250
Fort Smith AR-OK 83 $62,250
Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin FL 100 $75,000
Fort Wayne IN 93 $69,750
Fresno CA 119 $89,250
Gadsden AL 86 $64,500
Gainesville FL 99 $74,250
Gainesville GA 100 $75,000
Glens Falls NY 109 $81,750
Goldsboro NC 100 $75,000
Grand Forks ND-MN 100 $75,000
Grand Junction CO 99 $74,250
Grand Rapids-Wyoming MI 96 $72,000
Great Falls MT 100 $75,000
Greeley CO 100 $75,000
Green Bay WI 95 $71,250
Greensboro-High Point NC 100 $75,000
Greenville NC 96 $72,000
Greenville SC 89 $66,750
Gulfport-Biloxi MS 100 $75,000
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV 84 $63,000
Hanford-Corcoran CA 100 $75,000
Harrisburg-Carlisle PA 100 $75,000
Harrisonburg VA 99 $74,250
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT 129 $96,750
Hattiesburg MS 92 $69,000
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton NC 93 $69,750
Hinesville-Fort Stewart GA 100 $75,000
Holland-Grand Haven MI 100 $75,000
Honolulu HI 165 $123,750
Hot Springs AR 91 $68,250
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux LA 100 $75,000
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX 89 $66,750
Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH 100 $75,000
Huntsville AL 91 $68,250
Idaho Falls ID 100 $75,000
Indianapolis-Carmel IN 88 $66,000
Iowa City IA 93 $69,750
Ithaca NY 103 $77,250
Jackson MI 100 $75,000
Jackson MS 95 $71,250
Jackson TN 90 $67,500
Jacksonville FL 94 $70,500
Jacksonville NC 92 $69,000
Janesville WI 95 $71,250
Jefferson City MO 89 $66,750
Johnson City TN 88 $66,000
Johnstown PA 94 $70,500
Jonesboro AR 85 $63,750
Joplin MO 87 $65,250
Kalamazoo-Portage MI 94 $70,500
Kankakee-Bradley IL 100 $75,000
Kansas City MO-KS 95 $71,250
Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA 88 $66,000
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood TX 90 $67,500
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol TN-VA 100 $75,000
Kingston NY 100 $75,000
Knoxville TN 89 $66,750
Kokomo IN 100 $75,000
La Crosse WI-MN 100 $75,000
Lafayette IN 94 $70,500
Lafayette LA 98 $73,500
Lake Charles LA 93 $69,750
Lakeland FL 100 $75,000
Lancaster PA 100 $75,000
Lansing-East Lansing MI 100 $75,000
Laredo TX 100 $75,000
Las Cruces NM 101 $75,750
Las Vegas-Paradise NV 100 $75,000
Lawrence KS 93 $69,750
Lawton OK 86 $64,500
Lebanon PA 100 $75,000
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner MA 129 $96,750
Lewiston ID-WA 100 $75,000
Lewiston-Auburn ME 129 $96,750
Lexington-Fayette KY 95 $71,250
Lima OH 93 $69,750
Lincoln NE 100 $75,000
Little Rock-North Little Rock AR 87 $65,250
Logan UT-ID 98 $73,500
Longview TX 100 $75,000
Longview WA 100 $75,000
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA 142 $106,500
Louisville-Jefferson County KY-IN 89 $66,750
Lubbock TX 87 $65,250
Lynchburg VA 96 $72,000
Macon GA 100 $75,000
Madera CA 100 $75,000
Madison WI 100 $75,000
Manchester NH 129 $96,750
Mansfield OH 100 $75,000
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX 86 $64,500
Medford OR 100 $75,000
Memphis TN-MS-AR 86 $64,500
Merced CA 100 $75,000
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach FL 120 $90,000
Michigan City-La Porte IN 100 $75,000
Midland TX 91 $68,250
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI 102 $76,500
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI 114 $85,500
Missoula MT 101 $75,750
Mobile AL 90 $67,500
Modesto CA 100 $75,000
Monroe LA 97 $72,750
Monroe MI 100 $75,000
Montgomery AL 96 $72,000
Morgantown WV 100 $75,000
Morristown TN 88 $66,000
Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA 100 $75,000
Muncie IN 100 $75,000
Muskegon-Norton Shores MI 100 $75,000
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC 91 $68,250
Napa CA 100 $75,000
Naples-Marco Island FL 100 $75,000
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro TN 88 $66,000
New Bedford MA 129 $96,750
New Haven CT 129 $96,750
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA 106 $79,500
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island* NY-NJ-PA 218 $163,500
Niles-Benton Harbor MI 100 $75,000
Norwich-New London CT-RI 129 $96,750
Ocala FL 100 $75,000
Ocean City NJ 100 $75,000
Odessa TX 89 $66,750
Ogden-Clearfield UT 100 $75,000
Oklahoma City OK 89 $66,750
Olympia WA 105 $78,750
Omaha-Council Bluffs NE-IA 89 $66,750
Orlando-Kissimmee FL 98 $73,500
Oshkosh-Neenah WI 100 $75,000
Owensboro KY 100 $75,000
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA 100 $75,000
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL 100 $75,000
Panama City-Lynn Haven FL 105 $78,750
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna WV-OH 100 $75,000
Pascagoula MS 100 $75,000
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL 100 $75,000
Peoria IL 100 $75,000
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD 103 $77,250
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ 100 $75,000
Pine Bluff AR 100 $75,000
Pittsburgh PA 92 $69,000
Pittsfield MA 129 $96,750
Pocatello ID 100 $75,000
Port St. Lucie-Fort Pierce FL 100 $75,000
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford ME 129 $96,750
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA 117 $87,750
Portsmouth NH-ME 129 $96,750
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown NY 100 $75,000
Prescott AZ 105 $78,750
Providence-Fall River-Warwick RI-MA 129 $96,750
Provo-Orem UT 100 $75,000
Pueblo CO 83 $62,250
Punta Gorda FL 100 $75,000
Racine WI 100 $75,000
Raleigh-Cary NC 100 $75,000
Rapid City SD 100 $75,000
Reading PA 100 $75,000
Redding CA 100 $75,000
Reno-Sparks NV 108 $81,000
Richmond VA 105 $78,750
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA 123 $92,250
Roanoke VA 93 $69,750
Rochester MN 98 $73,500
Rochester NY 99 $74,250
Rochester-Dover NH-ME 129 $96,750
Rockford IL 91 $68,250
Rocky Mount NC 100 $75,000
Rome GA 100 $75,000
Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville CA 115 $86,250
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MI 100 $75,000
Salem OR 100 $75,000
Salinas CA 100 $75,000
Salisbury MD 100 $75,000
Salt Lake City UT 98 $73,500
San Angelo TX 90 $67,500
San Antonio TX 93 $69,750
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA 132 $99,000
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA 137 $102,750
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA 158 $118,500
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA 100 $75,000
Sandusky OH 100 $75,000
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria CA 100 $75,000
Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA 100 $75,000
Santa Fe NM 100 $75,000
Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA 100 $75,000
Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice FL 97 $72,750
Savannah GA 90 $67,500
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre PA 100 $75,000
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA 114 $85,500
Sebastian-Vero Beach FL 101 $75,750
Sheboygan WI 97 $72,750
Sherman-Denison TX 100 $75,000
Shreveport-Bossier City LA 93 $69,750
Sioux City IA-NE-SD 100 $75,000
Sioux Falls SD 100 $75,000
South Bend-Mishawaka IN-MI 90 $67,500
Spartanburg SC 100 $75,000
Spokane WA 91 $68,250
Springfield IL 86 $64,500
Springfield MA-CT 129 $96,750
Springfield MO 89 $66,750
Springfield OH 100 $75,000
St. Cloud MN 99 $74,250
St. George UT 97 $72,750
St. Joseph MO-KS 92 $69,000
St. Louis MO-IL 87 $65,250
State College PA 100 $75,000
Stockton CA 100 $75,000
Sumter SC 93 $69,750
Syracuse NY 98 $73,500
Tallahassee FL 100 $75,000
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL 99 $74,250
Terre Haute IN 89 $66,750
Texarkana-Texarkana TX-AR 100 $75,000
Toledo OH 100 $75,000
Topeka KS 88 $66,000
Trenton-Ewing NJ 100 $75,000
Tucson AZ 97 $72,750
Tulsa OK 85 $63,750
Tuscaloosa AL 92 $69,000
Tyler TX 94 $70,500
Utica-Rome NY 100 $75,000
Valdosta GA 90 $67,500
Vallejo-Fairfield CA 100 $75,000
Victoria TX 100 $75,000
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton NJ 100 $75,000
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA-NC 110 $82,500
Visalia-Porterville CA 100 $75,000
Waco TX 87 $65,250
Warner Robins GA 100 $75,000
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV 138 $103,500
Waterbury CT 129 $96,750
Waterloo-Cedar Falls IA 89 $66,750
Wausau WI 96 $72,000
Weirton-Steubenville WV-OH 100 $75,000
Wenatchee WA 100 $75,000
Wheeling WV-OH 100 $75,000
Wichita Falls TX 100 $75,000
Wichita KS 90 $67,500
Williamsport PA 98 $73,500
Wilmington NC 98 $73,500
Winchester VA-WV 103 $77,250
Winston-Salem NC 90 $67,500
Worcester MA-CT 129 $96,750
Yakima WA 99 $74,250
York-Hanover PA 98 $73,500
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH-PA 93 $69,750
Yuba City CA 100 $75,000
Yuma AZ 103 $77,250

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/09/07/what-salary-buys-happiness-in-your-city/