Over the last decade, the World Happiness Report has ranked countries based on factors like perceptions of corruption, GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, and freedom to make life choices. Finland has come out on top for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, the United States achieved its highest ranking — 11th place — in 2012, the first year the report was published. Maybe you’re wondering what the happiest American cities are. The team at WalletHub, which ranks America’s happiest cities, started with the 150 most populated U.S. cities, then added at least two of the largest cities in each state. Ultimately, they ended up with a list of 182 cities, which were measured by emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment. The following cities are listed as the top 10 happiest cities in America for 2022:
- 1. Fremont, Calif.
- 2. San Jose, Calif.
- 3. Madison, Wisc.
- 4. Overland Park, Kan.
- 5. San Francisco, Calif.
- 6. Irvine, Calif.
- 7. Columbia, MD.
- 8. Sioux Falls, SD.
- 9. South Burlington, VT.
- 10. Burlington, VT.
Considering that a third of the happiest cities in America are in California, there must be something to the proverb “Ignorance is bliss.” The full ranking of all 182 cities is available here.
