Top 10 happiest cities to live in the US

Even though money can’t always buy happiness, moving to a new city may improve the quality of life. The environment, income, citizens’ overall well-being, and sense of community in cities across the United States vary greatly.

Fremont, California, topped the list of the happiest cities in the United States for the second consecutive year in 2023. California dominated the list.

That’s according to a recent WalletHub study that looked at happiness-related data metrics to figure out which cities in the United States have the happiest people living there. Even though the United States of America only ranks 16th on the World Happiness Report, the study claims that some American cities still offer residents a very positive quality of life.

The findings of psychological research that show a clear link between happiness and location are used in the study. Simply put, Dr. Sherry Hamby, a distinguished research professor of psychology at the University of the South, stated in the study that where you live can have a significant impact on your overall health.

According to Hamby, “places with more resources — whether these are natural resources like beaches and mountains, cultural resources like museums and theaters, or essential resources like health care and transportation — tend to have happier people than other places.”

Dev Dalal, an associate professor of psychology at the University at Albany, stated in the study that some areas, which the author Dan Buettner calls “Blue Zones of Happiness,” have happier residents than others. These places include inhabitants with more prominent generally speaking reason, pride, and joy.

The economy of a city can have an impact on the happiness of its residents. “One factor in making a location related to increased happiness is the economy of the area. Specifically, it is the amount of economic equality among the residents,” Dalal said. “The more equality there is among the residents, the happier the residents tend to be.”

Here are the 10 happiest cities in the U.S.:

1. Fremont, California

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 1
Community and environment rank: 1
Income and employment rank: 34.

2. San Jose, California

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 2
Community and environment rank: 64
Income and employment rank: 3.

3. Madison, Wisconsin

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 5
Community and environment rank: 8
Income and employment rank: 41.

4. Overland Park, Kansas

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 6
Community and environment rank: 6
Income and employment rank: 87.

5. San Francisco

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 4
Community and environment rank: 69
Income and employment rank: 8.

6. Irvine, California.

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 8
Community and environment rank: 18
Income and employment rank: 40.

7. Columbia, Maryland

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 3
Community and environment rank: 28
Income and employment rank: 176.

8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 10
Community and environment rank: 21
Income and employment rank: 72.

9. South Burlington, Vermont

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 11
Community and environment rank: 47
Income and employment rank: 25.

10. Burlington, Vermont

Emotional and physical well-being rank: 28
Community and environment rank: 11
Income and employment rank: 1.

WalletHub looked at 182 of the largest cities in the United States for the ranking, including the top 150 most populated U.S. cities and at least two of the most populous cities in each U.S. state.

There were three categories used to evaluate cities:

• Emotional and physical wellbeing
• Community and environment
• Income and employment

The study looked at 30 relevant metrics within these categories, such as the life satisfaction index, the depression rate, the rate of food insecurity, the poverty rate, the income growth rate, the ideal weather, and the number of hate crime incidents per capita.