{"id":7795,"date":"2026-08-31T22:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T22:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7795"},"modified":"2026-08-31T22:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T22:43:07","slug":"the-happiest-city-in-america-revealed-and-the-others-in-the-top-5-may-surprise-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7795","title":{"rendered":"The happiest city in America revealed \u2014 and the others in the top 5 may surprise you"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Happiness has an address \u2014 and it\u2019s in California.<\/p>\n

Fremont, Calif., has been crowned the happiest city in the country, according to a new WalletHub study ranking 182 of the largest US cities.<\/p>\n

Read more Conservatives slam NY Gov. Hochul for wearing head scarf at Islamic center<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bay Area city took the No. 1 spot after WalletHub compared cities using 29 measures of happiness spanning emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment.<\/p>\n

And Fremont certainly has reasons to smile.<\/p>\n

The city, located on the southeast shore of San Francisco Bay, ranked first for emotional and physical well-being, helped by its walkability, mild weather, high sports participation and an average life expectancy of nearly 82 years, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told the New York Times.<\/p>\n

Its residents also have some financial cushion: 80% of Fremont households earn more than $75,000, according to the study, even though the city ranked 89th in the income and employment category.<\/p>\n

But the rest of America\u2019s happiness map comes with a few surprises.<\/p>\n

Bismarck, ND, took the No. 2 spot, followed by Scottsdale, Ariz.; South Burlington, Vt.; and Fargo, ND \u2014 putting two cities in frigid North Dakota among the five happiest places in America.<\/p>\n

Apparently, sunshine isn\u2019t a requirement for a sunny disposition.<\/p>\n

Bismarck topped the community and environment category, with the study pointing to residents\u2019 strong sense of connection and satisfaction with their community.<\/p>\n

Locals also devote plenty of time to leisure \u2014 and have wide-open spaces where they can actually enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Read more NYPD shoots knife-wielding woman accused of stabbing two people in Times Square<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as hustle and bustle as it would be in a major metro area like New York City or Washington, DC,\u201d Lupo told the Times, noting that residents have more opportunities to unwind, spend time with family and pursue hobbies.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the top 10 were Overland Park, Kan.; Charleston, SC; Irvine, Calif.; Gilbert, Ariz.; and San Jose, Calif.<\/p>\n

And New Yorkers searching for a little more joy don\u2019t necessarily have to head all the way to California \u2014 or brave a North Dakota winter.<\/p>\n

Just across the Hudson, Jersey City came in at No. 31, while Yonkers landed at No. 38.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Both punched well above their overall rankings when it came to emotional and physical well-being: Jersey City placed 16th in that category, with Yonkers close behind at No. 18.<\/p>\n

Jersey City had even more reason to smile: It recorded the lowest depression rate of all 182 cities analyzed and the second-lowest suicide rate, according to WalletHub.<\/p>\n

Read more John Galliano\u2019s harmful behavior allegedly continued well past \u2018rehab\u2019 after antisemitic remarks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WalletHub ranked the happiest cities in America for 2026, with one Bay Area hub taking the No. 1 spot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate"],"yoast_head":"\nThe happiest city in America revealed \u2014 and the others in the top 5 may surprise you - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7795\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The happiest city in America revealed \u2014 and the others in the top 5 may surprise you - 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