NATIONWIDE — New data from National Geographic reveals what they’ve determined are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S.

Dan Buettner, a NatGeo fellow writes about longevity and health and recruited Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, to put together the list. Witters designed an index of 15 metrics that contribute to happiness — everything from eating healthy and learning something new every day to civic engagement, financial security, vacation time, and even dental checkups. Then, he analyzed thousands of interviews to see how each city measured up.

Buettner says he uses the metrics pride, pleasure and purpose to determine enduring happiness.

"World Happiness Report researchers isolated six common factors: strong economic growth, healthy life expectancy, quality social relationships, generosity, trust and freedom to live the life that's right for you. And what we've seen is that these factors don't happen by chance; they are related to a country's policies, government and cultural values. So where you live has a huge impact in how happy you are," Buettner said. 

So without further ado, here are the top 10 happiest cities in America: 

  1. Boulder, Colorado

  2. Santa Cruz, California

  3. Charlottesville, Virginia

  4. Fort Collins, Colorado

  5. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles Arroyo Grande, California

  6. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California

  7. Provo-Orem, Utah

  8. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut

  9. Barnestable Town, Massachusetts

  10. Anchorage, Alaska

And coming in at No. 25, by the skin of our teeth, Austin-Round Rock, Texas.