Four Carolina Cities Now Rank Among The Happiest Cities in America

By
Charlotte Stories
-
2096

A new study ranks four cities in the Carolinas among the happiest in the nation, highlighting strong mental and physical well-being.

Ahead of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, personal finance website WalletHub released its 2025 Happiest Cities in America report, evaluating 182 cities based on 29 key indicators of happiness.

Raleigh topped North Carolina at No. 22, followed by Durham (No. 29) and Charlotte (No. 52). In South Carolina, Charleston ranked as the 14th happiest city in the country and the highest in the state.

Happiest Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Emotional & Physical Well-Being Rank  Income & Employment Rank  Community & Environment Rank 
1 Fremont, CA 73.54 1 93 4
2 San Jose, CA 69.34 3 45 10
3 Irvine, CA 69.32 2 62 14
4 Sioux Falls, SD 68.66 9 53 5
5 Overland Park, KS 66.93 4 59 47
6 Lincoln, NE 66.59 25 51 1
7 Madison, WI 65.83 15 24 9
8 Scottsdale, AZ 65.17 22 10 15
9 San Francisco, CA 64.96 6 68 43
10 Huntington Beach, CA 64.70 11 80 39
11 Bismarck, ND 64.34 10 30 84
12 Omaha, NE 64.34 36 89 2
13 Seattle, WA 64.13 5 4 135
14 Charleston, SC 63.93 20 9 48
15 San Diego, CA 63.79 21 27 23
16 Columbia, MD 63.45 7 162 83
17 Plano, TX 62.78 13 66 51
18 Honolulu, HI 62.47 26 52 29
19 South Burlington, VT 62.47 8 7 174
20 Garden Grove, CA 62.36 32 61 13
21 Nashua, NH 61.99 50 105 3
22 Raleigh, NC 61.59 16 88 60
23 Burlington, VT 61.36 27 1 152
24 Portland, ME 61.22 30 6 94
25 Pearl City, HI 61.20 14 144 112
26 Gilbert, AZ 61.20 33 26 38
27 Chula Vista, CA 61.17 35 77 22
28 Fargo, ND 60.85 24 32 107
29 Durham, NC 60.51 28 28 75
30 Anaheim, CA 60.42 38 70 32
31 Santa Clarita, CA 60.15 31 145 28
32 Santa Rosa, CA 60.11 47 38 35
33 Rapid City, SD 60.05 66 21 11
34 Minneapolis, MN 59.87 18 36 127
35 Oakland, CA 59.87 19 120 76
36 Jersey City, NJ 59.82 17 154 67
37 Cedar Rapids, IA 59.73 48 126 12
38 Glendale, CA 59.66 41 121 26
39 Pembroke Pines, FL 59.53 37 147 27
40 Chandler, AZ 59.47 43 43 49
41 Yonkers, NY 59.28 23 141 90
42 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 59.28 56 79 24
43 Oceanside, CA 59.12 39 104 58
44 Chesapeake, VA 58.95 55 86 31
45 Boston, MA 58.91 40 18 97
46 Fort Lauderdale, FL 58.74 46 78 54
47 Manchester, NH 58.60 77 81 6
48 Santa Ana, CA 58.50 68 23 33
49 Aurora, IL 58.50 34 155 40
50 Cape Coral, FL 58.27 72 83 8
51 Boise, ID 58.16 51 8 114
52 Charlotte, NC 58.08 42 102 61
53 Cheyenne, WY 58.08 73 39 25
54 Washington, DC 58.05 12 94 173
55 Grand Rapids, MI 57.65 83 19 19
56 Missoula, MT 57.42 62 16 109
57 Juneau, AK 57.42 29 35 178
58 Anchorage, AK 57.01 63 71 63
59 Austin, TX 56.94 44 22 142
60 Virginia Beach, VA 56.90 59 92 57
61 Pittsburgh, PA 56.64 80 12 56
62 Warwick, RI 56.52 57 129 59
63 Oxnard, CA 56.33 79 122 16
64 Peoria, AZ 56.07 67 91 70
65 Des Moines, IA 55.89 70 112 45
66 Orlando, FL 55.82 78 5 102
67 Nampa, ID 55.57 75 20 111
68 New York, NY 55.52 54 156 64
69 St. Petersburg, FL 55.29 82 25 69
70 Tampa, FL 55.24 87 46 46
71 Tempe, AZ 55.18 61 17 167
72 Fontana, CA 55.09 99 72 17
73 Port St. Lucie, FL 54.86 96 49 36
74 Atlanta, GA 54.81 58 90 129
75 Portland, OR 54.76 49 96 148
76 Riverside, CA 54.62 88 41 65
77 Los Angeles, CA 54.49 71 107 81
78 St. Paul, MN 54.45 60 127 113
79 Colorado Springs, CO 54.30 81 60 77
80 Casper, WY 54.08 116 84 7
81 Irving, TX 54.02 76 69 106
82 Miami, FL 54.01 74 13 151
83 Mesa, AZ 53.98 84 40 93
84 Worcester, MA 53.98 90 99 53
85 Salt Lake City, UT 53.89 65 37 169
86 Ontario, CA 53.86 108 65 30
87 Long Beach, CA 53.61 69 148 87
88 Aurora, CO 53.60 52 158 140
89 Moreno Valley, CA 53.59 104 110 20
90 Providence, RI 53.51 120 11 52
91 Bridgeport, CT 53.38 86 170 18
92 Sacramento, CA 53.31 91 31 110
93 Chicago, IL 53.03 53 179 99
94 Henderson, NV 52.88 92 128 55
95 Billings, MT 52.88 101 56 86
96 Denver, CO 52.76 45 136 171
97 New Haven, CT 52.74 126 47 34
98 Tallahassee, FL 52.59 111 33 78
99 Albuquerque, NM 52.40 89 64 120
100 Vancouver, WA 52.26 64 117 172
101 Garland, TX 52.16 93 115 85
102 Columbia, SC 51.90 107 67 80
103 Modesto, CA 51.66 122 74 50
104 Reno, NV 51.53 103 44 116
105 Hialeah, FL 51.53 94 101 104
106 Phoenix, AZ 51.13 97 85 128
107 Wilmington, DE 51.10 102 125 92
108 Huntsville, AL 51.02 124 48 91
109 Las Cruces, NM 50.89 129 42 72
110 Winston-Salem, NC 50.70 105 108 96
111 West Valley City, UT 50.70 114 58 123
112 Stockton, CA 50.61 110 103 95
113 Grand Prairie, TX 50.44 106 146 82
114 Lexington-Fayette, KY 50.43 98 151 101
115 Tacoma, WA 50.22 85 133 161
116 Greensboro, NC 50.08 100 109 138
117 Oklahoma City, OK 49.32 145 130 21
118 Nashville, TN 49.25 133 113 74
119 Jacksonville, FL 49.17 139 123 41
120 Glendale, AZ 49.14 115 97 131
121 Kansas City, MO 48.90 113 134 124
122 Spokane, WA 48.81 135 14 150
123 Columbus, OH 48.77 127 157 73
124 Dallas, TX 48.74 95 119 163
125 Fort Worth, TX 48.49 121 138 117
126 Fresno, CA 48.33 134 73 115
127 Bakersfield, CA 48.00 137 135 68
128 Arlington, TX 47.93 118 137 136
129 Newport News, VA 47.92 123 143 139
130 Fort Wayne, IN 47.80 132 153 89
131 Milwaukee, WI 47.78 125 163 103
132 Wichita, KS 47.76 119 118 149
133 Richmond, VA 47.38 109 150 162
134 Salem, OR 47.31 117 87 177
135 San Bernardino, CA 47.23 149 76 79
136 Rochester, NY 47.12 136 95 145
137 Lewiston, ME 46.75 163 2 134
138 Newark, NJ 46.67 112 174 143
139 New Orleans, LA 46.61 148 106 88
140 Philadelphia, PA 46.42 140 114 122
141 Norfolk, VA 46.33 130 131 153
142 Tulsa, OK 46.12 167 82 37
143 Dover, DE 45.72 142 116 141
144 Springfield, MO 45.70 165 63 62
145 North Las Vegas, NV 45.62 151 160 66
146 Las Vegas, NV 45.40 140 159 118
147 Indianapolis, IN 45.28 138 173 98
148 Louisville, KY 45.20 131 177 126
149 Chattanooga, TN 44.88 160 124 71
150 Fayetteville, NC 44.74 152 132 119
151 Houston, TX 44.67 128 152 170
152 Laredo, TX 44.62 164 3 155
153 Buffalo, NY 44.53 143 100 164
154 Cincinnati, OH 44.33 156 140 108
155 Lubbock, TX 44.14 147 54 168
156 Amarillo, TX 44.08 157 98 133
157 Charleston, WV 43.93 171 15 132
158 El Paso, TX 43.90 150 139 144
159 Knoxville, TN 43.52 172 50 100
160 Little Rock, AR 43.05 153 149 154
161 Tucson, AZ 42.42 159 75 165
162 Baltimore, MD 42.31 144 172 158
163 St. Louis, MO 42.14 146 168 156
164 San Antonio, TX 42.05 154 111 175
165 Columbus, GA 41.92 162 161 125
166 Baton Rouge, LA 41.71 169 142 121
167 Corpus Christi, TX 41.48 168 55 166
168 Shreveport, LA 40.77 173 178 42
169 Akron, OH 40.02 174 164 105
170 Brownsville, TX 39.51 179 57 130
171 Augusta, GA 39.32 161 167 176
172 Jackson, MS 39.16 155 180 180
173 Mobile, AL 39.11 170 176 137
174 Montgomery, AL 38.49 158 175 181
175 Huntington, WV 37.84 182 29 44
176 Birmingham, AL 37.29 166 171 179
177 Toledo, OH 36.30 180 165 146
178 Gulfport, MS 35.89 178 169 147
179 Fort Smith, AR 35.61 181 34 157
180 Memphis, TN 34.88 175 182 160
181 Detroit, MI 34.18 177 181 159
182 Cleveland, OH 34.01 176 166 182

 

Raleigh also ranked third in the nation for neighborly kindness, measured by the percentage of people who do favors for their neighbors.