A February report from WalletHub ranked the happiest cities in America for 2024. To rank the cities, the report looked at more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities and examined them across three key dimensions:
- Emotional and physical well-being
- Income and employment
- Community and environment
The three categories were evaluated using 29 metrics graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. Some categories include a life-satisfaction index, life expectancy, job satisfaction, income-growth rate, and a well-being “community” index score.
“While Florida is home to Disney World, often called the happiest on Earth, the Sunshine State didn’t have any city rank in the top 10.”
Fremont, California is the happiest city in America and this is for the third year in a row. Fremont had a total score of 74.16 and ranked 85th in income and employment and third in community and environment. The California city has the highest-earning middle class, according to a 2023 SmartAsset study. Fremont is located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area and has a substantial tech industry population because of its proximity to Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
The city has the highest share of households with an income above $75,000, at nearly 80%, the WalletHub report states. Another contributing factor is that Fremont has the country’s lowest separation and divorce rate, at only 8.9%.”
The 10 happiest cities in America are as follows:
1. Fremont, Calif.
2. Overland Park, Kan.
3. San Jose, Calif.
4. Madison, Wis.
5. Irvine, Calif.
6. Honolulu, Hawaii
7. San Francisco, Calif.
8. Pearl City, Hawaii
9. Columbia, Md.
10. Scottsdale, Ariz.
Overland Park, Kansas, secures the second-happiest city spot in the U.S., climbing from the No. 4 position in 2023. It earned a total score of 69.78, ranking sixth in emotional and physical well-being, 36th in income and employment, and sixth in community and environment.
Overland Park, Kansas, takes the No. 2 spot as the happiest city in America, boasting the lowest poverty rate in the country at 4.2% and one of the lowest unemployment rates at 3%. According to the report, residents in Kansas City enjoy more sleep compared to those in most other cities,
As the second-largest city in Kansas, Overland Park boasts a median household income of $92,769, as per the city’s website.
