The Happiest Cities in America in 2026

The key to happiness may be rather nuanced, but living in the happiest city in America can’t hurt … and Fremont, California, earned that title (again) this year.

Earlier this week, WalletHub published its annual happiest city rankings based on 29 key indicators of happiness, including depression rates, income growth, and average daily leisure time. “The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather, and caring neighbors,” analyst Chip Lupo explained in a statement.

The NorCal locale checks many of the above boxes. It ranked No. 1 in the emotional and physical well-being category, and has the highest life satisfaction and the lowest separation and divorce rates.

Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, took second place, thanks in part to its No. 1 ranking in the community and environment category. It landed the seventh-highest score on the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index (which measures well-being across 600 data points), demonstrating that residents feel satisfied and connected to each other. The city also boasts the ninth-highest percentage of adults who reported being in good or better health, along with the highest average amount of leisure time per day.

We’re back in the Western U.S. for the third-happiest city: Scottsdale, Arizona. It scored high marks in both physical and mental health, with nearly 87% of adults partaking in physical activities and the third-lowest percentage of adults who reported experiencing 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month. Plus, only 7% of residents reported incomes below the poverty line.

Check out the top 25 happiest cities below, and see the full list here.