As we get into the holiday season, which is all about celebrating happy and grateful times, our November ORA Power Ranking spotlights the nation’s 25 happiest cities, the top properties by Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) scores in each, and the average ORA score of each city. The happiest cities ranking is published by WalletHub.
Gilbert, Arizona, the 21st happiest city in the nation, ranks No. 1 among apartment residents for online reputation. The average ORA score of this city is 69.63. Vivace At Gateway Place, managed by Thompson Michie Associates, is the top property in the city, with an ORA score of 94.
The highest ORA score in this ranking is 98. Four properties achieved this high score:
- Valentina by Alta, managed by Greystar, in San Diego;
- The Port House, managed by Willow Bridge Property Co., in Charleston, South Carolina;
- Lilia Waikiki, managed by Brookfield Properties, in Honolulu; and
- 222 Hennepin Apartment Homes, managed by Weidner Apartment Homes, in Minneapolis.
Please click on the map to view the most reputed apartment communities in the top 25 happiest cities.
The top management companies to manage the most properties in this ranking are:
- Greystar: 19 properties;
- AvalonBay Communities: eight properties;
- Weidner Apartment Homes: six properties; and
- Cushman & Wakefield, Lloyd Cos., Commercial Investment Properties, and Equity Residential: five properties each
To be eligible for the 2024 Happiest Cities ORA Power Ranking, a property had to have a minimum ORA score of 75. For properties with the same ORA score, the property with a higher number of reviews ranked higher. The national average ORA score in October was 62.12.
Pearl City, Hawaii, No. 8, and South Burlington, Vermont, No. 23, on the WalletHub list, did not have any apartments that qualified for the 2024 Happiest Cities ORA Power Ranking.
WalletHub drew upon the various findings of positive-psychology research in order to determine which among more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. Each city was examined based on 29 key indicators of happiness, ranging from the depression rate to the income-growth rate to the average leisure time spent per day.
About the ORA Power Rankings
Developed by J Turner Research, the ORA Power Rankings are a monthly, independent ranking of apartment properties and management companies based on their Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) scores. A property or management company is not required to be a J Turner Research client to qualify for this ranking, which is published by J Turner’s media partner Multifamily Executive. To learn more or to request your ORA score, visit www.jturnerresearch.com/about/what-is-ora-score.
Methodology
The ORA score is an aggregate compilation of a property’s ratings across various review sites and ILSs. Each month, J Turner Research monitors online ratings of more than 144,000 properties nationwide. Using a statistical model, a single score based on a scale of 0 to 100 is assigned to each property. This score serves as a benchmark to compare a company’s individual properties and portfolios nationally, regionally, and against the competition.
