Minnesota is home to the happiest city in the US, according to global institute

Every year, the Institute for Quality of Life collects data across thousands of categories for its "Happy City Index," a ranking of cities around the world based on their quality of life. The top pick this year? Aarhus, Denmark. The top city in the U.S.? Minneapolis. 

Minneapolis was not just the happiest in the country, it was the only U.S. city to get the Institute's "gold status." The organization placed 37 cities among its Golden Cities, which it says "are the happiest locations in the world."

The organization technically doesn't rank the first 37 of the 250 cities that made the list, as it suggests there is no one-size-fits-all guide to happiness, and all of its Golden Cities sit at the top. Nonetheless, based on its metrics, Minneapolis sits 18th overall, one of just four U.S. cities in the top 100.

"The ranking was created on the basis of thousands of indicators thoroughly developed by our researchers that directly relate to the quality of life and the sense of happiness of [each city's] residents," the Institute says in describing its methodology. "Importantly, we do not analyze the happiness of an imaginary individual in every location in the world, but people actually living in these cities."

The indicators were centered around five primary categories that include citizens (education, schools, libraries, and other factors go into that somewhat vague title), government, economy, environment, and mobility. Those are given scores based on data and interviews with people who live in each city.

Minneapolis got high marks for having plenty of outdoor space inside the city, including 180 (highly praised) parks, 55 miles of biking and walking paths, 22 lakes, and 12 gardens, among other factors. 

The city also received solid marks on mobility due to the accessibility of buses and light rail. The study also notes that it's relatively affordable for a large U.S. city. 

Elsewhere in the primary categories, Minneapolis ranked low among the Golden Cities in the environmental category, but among the highest in terms of the economy and the happiness of citizens. (Take that, seasonal depression.)

The only other midwestern city that cracked the global list was Madison, Wis., which placed 167th. Here's a look at the ranking for all the other U.S. cities in the index.

38. Boston, Mass. 
57. Baltimore, Md.
85. Washington, DC
114. San Francisco, Calif.
145. Salt Lake City, Utah
167. Madison, Wis.
190. Pittsburgh, Pa.
214. Rochester, N.Y.
237. Portland, Ore.