These 18 US cities are among the happiest in the world, new report says
(NEXSTAR) — The U.S. has again fallen down the list in the latest World Happiness Report, but more of its cities have joined a metro-focused happiness list.
The World Happiness Report 2025, released on the International Day of Happiness, gave Finland the happiest country title for the eighth year in a row. When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness — the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012.
Last year marked the first time the U.S. had fallen out of the top 20 in the list's 12-year history.
Nonetheless, more U.S. cities have joined the list of the 200 happiest cities in the world. Researchers with the Institute for Quality of Life, a London-based organization, also released its list on Thursday.
Its "Happy City Index" analyzed various indicators that contribute to life happiness, like inclusive policies, housing affordability, government transparency, environmental impacts, and more across some of the world's largest cities.
While researchers said it's "not fair to establish a single city as the leader," one city did earn the most points across the aforementioned indicators: Copenhagen, Denmark. The country also ranked as the second-happiest in the world, behind nearby Finland.
European cities dominated the "golden group" (the highest scoring on the Happy City Index), but two U.S. cities also made the cut: New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is a major improvement for New York, which didn't make the list at all last year. Minneapolis dropped slightly, coming in at No. 30 compared to No. 18 in 2024.
Cities in the gold group are "worth observing," researchers said.
"There is no single perfect place to live that guarantees happiness for all its residents," they wrote while prefacing the gold group of cities. "However, some cities implement urban policies with remarkable wisdom, continuously analyzing their effectiveness, and their results are clearly reflected in the data."
Sixteen other U.S. cities ranked among the 200 happiest in the world, according to the report. Only two states, California and Texas, had more than one city on the list.
Landing among the silver group were San Diego; the District of Columbia; Salt Lake City; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; Seattle; Baltimore; San Antonio; and Nashville, Tennessee. New to the group are Salt Lake City, which ranked among the bronze cities in the 2024 report, and San Diego, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Antonio, and Nashville — none of which made the index last year.
Ranking among the bronze cities in the latest report were Indianapolis; San Jose, California; Boston; Portland, Oregon; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; and Houston, Texas. Boston was in the silver group last year, while San Jose, Orlando, Phoenix, and Houston are first-time rankers.
California recently fared much better in a similar report released earlier this month. WalletHub compared multiple factors across the nation's 182 largest cities and found three California cities to have the happiest residents: Fremont, San Jose, and Irvine.
You can view the full Happy City Index here.
It's worth noting, though, that measuring happiness can be complex and vary across groups.
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back," said Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup. "If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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