I agree pay isn't the only factor, but country-wide averages of happiness are probably misleading here. The US average includes both very happy and very unhappy

I agree pay isn't the only factor, but country-wide averages of happiness are probably misleading here. The US average includes both very happy and very unhappy areas. In particular the US has areas that are really suffering, in ways that are rarer in Canada. And those areas are probably not relevant in this discussion which is about tech workers. I'd be surprised if the average tech worker were happier in Canada than in the US - but I could be wrong of course.