The 25 happiest cities in the US in 2026, ranked
Fremont, California, was ranked the happiest city in the US in a recent study.
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A study compared 182 of the largest cities in the US on factors such as income, employment, health, and community data.
- WalletHub ranked 182 cities across the US on factors affecting residents' happiness.
- Based on its criteria, cities in North Dakota, Arizona, and Vermont were among the 10 happiest.
- Three of the top 10 happiest cities are in California.
Money doesn't buy happiness, but some of it could help you afford a happy community.
A recent WalletHub study ranked 182 of the largest US cities based on the happiness of their residents, using a range of factors, including income.
"Research shows that having more money only increases your happiness until you're making at least $75,000 per year — anything more you earn likely won't have an impact," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in the study.
As such, the study used a yearly income of $75,000 as a benchmark for happiness and measured the share of households that make more than that a year in each of the surveyed cities.
"Money can buy you time and flexibility, which can turn into better options, which can lead to happiness," Rachel Wu, an associate psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, wrote in the study.
The report considered other factors for its overall ranking, comparing cities across three categories: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and environment and community.
WalletHub measured well-being by looking at factors such as life satisfaction, depression and suicide rates, sports participation, life expectancy, and sleep.
Income and employment ranks were determined by unemployment and underemployment rates, job security, commute time, and average work hours.
The environment and community ranking factored in weather, leisure time, and parks in each city, as well as divorce rates and hate crimes.
It used data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Glassdoor.com, Sharecare, Feeding America, and The Trust for Public Land, as well as other sources, including WalletHub's in-house research.
See what the happiest cities in the US do to keep their residents healthy, employed, and satisfied.
25. Huntington Beach, California
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Total score (out of 100): 62.80
Down from its top-10 ranking in last year's study, Huntington Beach, California, ranked the 25th-happiest city in the US.
The city, often referred to as "Surf City USA," was among the highest-ranking for the emotional and physical well-being of its residents.
24. Durham, North Carolina
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Total score: 62.84
Home to Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, is one of the US' happiest cities.
The city fell in the top 35 in both the environment and community rank and the emotional and physical health rank.
23. Peoria, Arizona
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Total score: 63.38
Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix, was ranked among the 25 happiest cities in the US in 2026.
Residents of Peoria enjoy a city ranked 7th in the US for environmental and community quality. The rank considers factors such as weather, leisure time, and divorce rates.
22. Raleigh, North Carolina
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Total score: 63.47
The capital of North Carolina, Raleigh, ranked as the 22nd-happiest city in the US, with its residents having the 22nd-best physical and emotional health out of the cities in the study.
21. San Diego
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Total score: 64.25
Nice weather and strong job opportunities are just some of the reasons why San Diego residents are among the happiest in the US.
The city ranked within the top 25 for emotional and physical well-being of its residents, as well as income and employment factors.
20. Tempe, Arizona
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Total score: 64.30
East of Phoenix and home to Arizona State University, Tempe ranked as the 20th-happiest city.
The college brings energy to the city, which ranked high for its residents' income, employment opportunities, and growth.
19. Portland, Maine
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Total score: 64.59
The coastal city of Portland, Maine, was ranked the 19th-happiest city in the US.
The city ranked third in the income and employment rank, which looks at job security and income growth, among other factors.
18. Lincoln, Nebraska
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Total score: 64.90
The capital of Nebraska, Lincoln, ranked as the 18th-happiest city in the US, with the highest rank for community and environment, which measures care and leisure time in a community, among other factors.
17. San Francisco
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Total score: 64.99
The tech capital ranked the 17th-happiest city in the US.
The city came within the top 10 cities in the study's emotional and physical well-being rank, which looks at factors like sports participation and depression rates.
16. Plano, Texas
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Total score: 65.34
Plano, Texas, located north of Dallas, is ranked among the top 20 happiest cities in the US.
The city came 15th in the emotional and physical well-being ranking.
15. Seattle
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Total score: 65.62
Seattle is the highest-ranking big city in the study, ranking 15th, partly thanks to the city's quality of life and job security.
The city ranked among the highest in both emotional and physical well-being and in income and employment.
14. Chandler, Arizona
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Total score: 65.69
Located just outside Phoenix, Chandler, Arizona, is ranked as the 14th-happiest city.
The warm city ranked in the top 10 for community and environment.
13. Columbia, Maryland
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Total score: 66.28
The second-largest city in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia is a planned community of independent villages that make up the 13th-happiest city in the US.
The city came third on WalletHub's ranking of residents' emotional and physical well-being.
12. Madison, Wisconsin
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Total score: 66.35
Madison ranked high in the emotional and physical well-being ranking, which looks at factors such as life satisfaction, depression and suicide rates, and adequate sleep and physical health.
11. Burlington, Vermont
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Total score: 67.54
In the 11th-happiest city in the US, residents work hard and rest hard.
The city ranked second in the study's employment ranking, which looks at factors such as income growth rate, commute time, average work hours, unemployment and underemployment rates, job security, and job satisfaction, among others.
Residents also have the fewest average work hours and the second-highest adequate sleep rate in the study, only behind South Burlington, Vermont.
10. San Jose, California
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Total score: 67.79
San Jose, California, ranked as the 10th-happiest city in the US, down from its No. 2 spot last year.
The Silicon Valley city averages 300 days of sunshine a year and has one of the lowest divorce and separation rates in the country.
9. Gilbert, Arizona
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Total score: 67.96
The suburb of Phoenix, Gilbert was ranked the 9th-happiest city in the US.
Gilbert came sixth in the study's community and environment rank, which considers weather, park space, and leisure time, among other categories.
8. Irvine, California
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Total score: 67.99
Home to UC Irvine and located an hour from Los Angeles, Irvine, California, was ranked as the eighth-happiest city in the US.
Irvine, which ranked third overall in last year's study, placed eighth in the study's emotional and physical well-being rank.
7. Charleston, South Carolina
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Total score: 68.44
Charleston, South Carolina, was ranked as the seventh-happiest city in the US.
The southern city ranked third-highest in the study's community and environment category, which considers factors such as park space, divorce rate, and hate crime rate.
6. Overland Park, Kansas
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Total score: 68.45
The second-largest city in Kansas after Wichita, Overland Park was ranked the sixth-happiest city in the US, with its residents earning it the second-highest spot in the study's emotional and physical well-being ranking.
5. Fargo, North Dakota
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Total score: 69.36
Fargo, North Dakota, is the fifth-happiest US city, according to the WalletHub study.
The city ranks fifth-highest in the study's community and environment ranking, which considers factors such as weather and leisure time.
4. South Burlington, Vermont
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Total score: 70.15
South Burlington, a city within Burlington, Vermont, ranked as the fourth-happiest city in the US, partly thanks to its high ranking in emotional and physical well-being, which considers factors such as life satisfaction, sports participation, depression and suicide rates, drug use, and food insecurity.
In sleepy South Burlington, residents report having the highest rate of adequate sleep. But during their waking hours, they're also the most active in sports, with the highest participation rate.
3. Scottsdale, Arizona
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Total score: 71.36
In third place is Scottsdale, Arizona, which ranked second in the study's community and environment ranking, which measured factors such as weather, leisure time, park space, and divorces.
A majority of Scottsdale residents report good health: 88% of adults rate their health as "good" or better, and about 65% earn over $75,000 a year, per the study.
2. Bismarck, North Dakota
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Total score: 73.11
Bismarck's high ranking is in part thanks to its residents' good health and leisure time.
The city ranked seventh on the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, which measures how much residents like their communities, feel safe, and take pride in them.
Bismarck residents also have, on average, the most minutes of leisure time a month out of all the cities studied.
1. Fremont, California
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Total score: 74.09
Located in the Bay Area, Fremont, California, was ranked as the happiest city in the US.
The city has the lowest divorce and separation rate at only 9.3%, the highest life satisfaction rate, and the highest share of residents earning more than $75,000 annually, with nearly 80% of households earning more than that.
Fremont residents, on average, also report fewer mentally unhealthy days per month, per the study.
The city, which also ranked first in last year's study, was ranked the No. 1 city in the US for emotional and physical well-being in WalletHub's report and placed fourth in the community and environment ranking.
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