Happiest Cities in America Revealed

Happiest Cities in America Revealed — And the Results Are Mixed for New York, New Jersey and California

A new national study ranking the happiest cities in America offers both good and not-so-good news for residents of some of the country’s largest states.

According to a new report from WalletHub, the city of Fremont once again ranks as the happiest city in the United States, repeating its top finish from last year.

The study evaluated 182 of the nation’s largest cities using 29 indicators tied to happiness, including income levels, depression rates, life expectancy and leisure time.

Why Fremont Tops the List

Researchers say Fremont’s high ranking is tied to several quality-of-life indicators.

Nearly 80% of households in Fremont earn more than $75,000 annually, a threshold that studies suggest is associated with higher life satisfaction.

The city also boasts the lowest separation and divorce rate in the country, along with one of the lowest percentages of residents reporting extended periods of poor mental health.

Fremont residents also benefit from strong health indicators, including high life expectancy and relatively low depression rates.

Several other California cities also performed well in the rankings, including Irvine, San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, and Huntington Beach, all of which landed in the top 25.

Mixed Results for New York and New Jersey

For residents of the Northeast, the results were more mixed.

New York City ranked 59th overall in the study. While the city performed reasonably well in emotional and physical well-being, it ranked significantly lower in income and employment measures.

Just north of the city, Yonkers fared better, placing 38th overall and ranking particularly high in emotional and physical well-being.

Across the Hudson River, Jersey City came in at 31st place overall and stood out for having one of the lowest rates of depression and the second-lowest suicide rate among the cities studied.

However, not all cities in the region performed well. Newark ranked 147th, while Rochester and Buffalo landed near the bottom of the list.

How Happiness Was Measured

WalletHub researchers examined cities across a range of factors tied to quality of life.

These included economic indicators such as income growth and employment levels, along with social and health measures like depression rates, life expectancy and average daily leisure time.

Studies referenced in the report suggest that income increases happiness up to about $75,000 per year, after which additional income tends to have diminishing returns.

Cities where a higher percentage of households reach that income threshold tend to score higher overall.

The Happiest — and Least Happy — Cities

The study’s top 10 happiest cities included:

1. Fremont, California
2. Bismarck, North Dakota
3. Scottsdale, Arizona
4. South Burlington, Vermont
5. Fargo, North Dakota
6. Overland Park, Kansas
7. Charleston, South Carolina
8. Irvine, California
9. Gilbert, Arizona
10. San Jose, California

At the other end of the rankings, the least happy cities included Detroit, Memphis, and Cleveland, which rounded out the bottom of the list.

While the rankings highlight geographic trends, researchers say happiness ultimately depends on a wide range of personal, social and economic factors — many of which extend beyond where someone lives.