The Happiest And Unhappiest Cities To Work In

If you happen to work in Cincinnati, Buffalo, or Austin and you're constantly down in the dumps—don't worry. You're not alone.

These three cities are where some of the nation's unhappiest workers are, according to online career site CareerBliss.com.

It's no surprise that most of the unhappiest places have frigid winters and humid summers. Unwelcomed snowstorms and dreaded heat waves can affect your happiness, but so can income, workplace environment, and career opportunities (or lack thereof).

"On average professionals spend more time at work than they do at home," says CareerBliss' chief executive, Heidi Golledge. "If a significant portion of our lives is spent at work and the work environment is not conducive to a happy atmosphere, the negative effects can transcend into all areas of our lives."

Our list of the happiest and unhappiest cities to work in, compiled by CareerBliss, is based on analysis of more than 43,000 independent employee reviews. Employees all over the country were asked to evaluate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness. Those include one's relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work done does on a daily basis. They evaluated each factor on a five-point scale and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness.

Heading the list of the unhappiest U.S. cities to work is New Haven, Conn., with an index score of 3.46. New Haven workers expressed the most pessimism in the Growth Opportunities and Company Culture categories, which scored 2.89 and 3.23, respectively.

"Employees there noted that New Haven lacked industry diversification," says CareerBliss' chief technology officer, Matt Miller. "As the city of New Haven moves from a former manufacturing environment to one led by health care and education, many employees feel there to be a limited number of industries, and that affects overall growth opportunities for employees."

In the No. 2 spot is Dayton, Ohio. Dayton earned an index score of 3.66. Workers there are most dissatisfied with their growth opportunities and compensation, and most satisfied with their colleagues and daily work tasks.

The third unhappiest city to work in is Milwaukee, with an index score of 3.68.

Rounding out the top five are Tulsa and Albuquerque. These cities both earned an index score of 3.69.

CareerBliss also compiled a less gloomy list: The Happiest Cities To Work In.

If you're hoping to smile more at work, think about moving to Oklahoma City, San Jose or Syracuse. Those are three of the happiest places to work.

But the happiest workers of all are in Miami. With an index score of 4.13, Miami employees said they are more than satisfied with the people they work with and their daily tasks.

"This is the second year in a row that Miami is one of the CareerBliss' happiest cities to work in," Golledge says. "Miami's leading industries include tourism, international trade, and international banking. Over the last 12 months employees in the travel and leisure sector have had a large increase in overall happiness. This shift was apparent in our recent data on CareerBliss' 50 Happiest Companies in America, where we saw companies like Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels outrank technology ones such as Google. This trend appears to continue in Miami, where tourism continues to lead as the city's principal industry."

Worcester, Mass., holds the No. 2 spot, closely followed by Oklahoma City, Okla. Both cities earned a 4.10 index score.

"CareerBliss data found that the greatest influence on workplace happiness was the growth opportunities available within a city," Golledge says. "It is not a city's attractions or overall culture that truly affect employee happiness in a region. The overall growth opportunity and company culture lead to happy employees."