Happiness
Everything that raises or lowers a resident's happiness, in points.
Every resident has a happiness score. Everyone starts at 50, and the things below add or take away points. Click any resident in the game to see their own list. The city's happiness is the average of its people, and it decides whether the city grows.
Numbers that matter
- 55% or more: the people in a building are happy enough for it to be rebuilt bigger.
- City average below 38%: growth stalls. Nobody new moves in and nothing new is built.
- Below 35: a resident pays only half their tax.
- Below 22: a resident starts thinking about leaving the city.
What makes people happier
| Reason | Points |
|---|---|
| Has a great job | +20 |
| Has a good job | +15 |
| In school | +10 |
| Has a job | +10 |
| Lovely home | +10 |
| Retired | +8 |
| Short commute | +8 |
| A park nearby | +6 |
| Comfortable home | +5 |
| Police nearby, and the city has a jail | +5 |
| Studying for a degree | +5 |
| Studying for something better | +4 |
| Grocery store nearby | +4 |
| Reasonable commute | +3 |
| Police nearby | +3 |
| Hospital nearby | +3 |
| A bank nearby | +3 |
| A gym nearby | +3 |
| Stores nearby | +3 |
| Fire station nearby | +2 |
| A footpath to walk on nearby | +2 |
| Gas station nearby | +2 |
| Shops nearby | +3 for each, up to +12 |
| Things to do nearby | +2 for each attraction, up to +6 |
| Trees and greenery nearby | up to +6 |
| Low taxes | up to +8, by how far below the usual rate |
What makes people less happy
| Reason | Points |
|---|---|
| Unemployed | -20 |
| Very long commute | -12 |
| Hurt in a road accident | -12 |
| No school to go to | -10 |
| No electricity | -10 |
| No running water | -10 |
| Rubbish piling up in the street | -8 |
| Ill | -8 |
| A neighbour died and no undertaker has come | -8 |
| Overqualified for the job | -6 |
| No car: a long walk to work | -6 |
| No park nearby | -6 |
| No sewers | -6 |
| Under the flight path | -6 |
| Long commute | -5 |
| No shops nearby | -5 |
| No police cover | -4 |
| No hospital nearby | -4 |
| Rubbish has not been collected | -4 |
| No fire cover | -3 |
| Snowed in: the street has not been cleared | -3 |
| Has to cross the street with no crosswalk | -3 |
| No grocery store nearby | -3 |
| No bank nearby | -2 |
| Nowhere near to fill up the car | -2 |
| Factories nearby | -3 for each, down to -20 |
| High taxes | down to -16, by how far above the usual rate |
| Dear electricity and water | down to -10 |
| School fees | down to -8 |
People give a new city time before they miss parks and services: several of the penalties only apply once a resident has settled in and the city has grown.
The reference pages are made from the game's own data, version 1.8. Numbers can change between versions.