Fremont Is America's Happiest City In 2025: Study

FREMONT, CA — Fremont is the happiest city in the country, according to a new study from WalletHub.

The personal finance website published a report Tuesday that ranked the happiest cities in the U.S., and Fremont topped the annual list again.

"Fremont has consistently ranked as the happiest city in America in WalletHub's report since 2020," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told Patch. "It secured the top spot again this year, driven by its outstanding showing in emotional and physical well-being, ranking first in that category. However, it ranked relatively low in income and employment at 93rd, showing that happiness isn't solely tied to financial matters."

Fremont has the highest share of households with an income above $75,000, the report found. In addition to income, Fremont topped the list because the people in the city also have the highest rate of life satisfaction, the fourth-highest average life expectancy, and the fifth-lowest depression rate in the country.

A total of 16 cities in California ranked among the top 50. Five Golden State cities made the top 10, with three of them taking the first three spots on the list.

"Overall, California performed well in the rankings with San Jose, Irvine, San Francisco, and Huntington Beach all making the top 10, reinforcing the Golden State's appeal for overall well-being," Lupo said.

WalletHub compared 182 of the largest cities in America across 29 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression and suicide rates to income-growth rate and job satisfaction.

Each relevant metric was listed with its corresponding weight. The cities were then scored on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the happiest city possible.

These are the 10 happiest cities in the U.S. in 2025, according to WalletHub:

1. Fremont, California: 73.54
2. San Jose, California: 69.34
3. Irvine, California: 69.32
4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota: 68.66
5. Overland Park, Kansas: 66.93
6. Lincoln, Nebraska: 66.59
7. Madison, Wisconsin: 65.83
8. Scottsdale, Arizona: 65.17
9. San Francisco, California: 64.96
10. Huntington Beach, California: 64.70

See the full list on WalletHub.