Chicago City Wire

Chicago has been ranked among the happiest cities in America, standing out as the 93rd on the list, according to a 2025 WalletHub study. The city achieved an overall score of 53 out of 100 in the analysis.

WalletHub compared 182 of the largest cities in the U.S. across 29 different well-being indicators, such as depression rates, income levels, physical activity rates, and the degree of community engagement.

The study revealed that Chicago received its highest score in emotional and physical well-being, ranking 53rd in the nation. It scored its lowest in income and employment, placing 179th in that category.

Meanwhile, Illinois ranked ninth in WalletHub’s analysis, with a total score of 54.4. There was one other city from Illinois that also made the list. Hawaii led the state rankings with a score of 68.7.

Fremont stood out as the happiest city in the list, followed by San Jose, Irvine, Sioux Falls, and Overland Park.

Rank	City	State	Overall Score	Emotional & Physical Well-Being Rank	Income & Employment Rank	Community & Environment Rank
1	Fremont	California	73.5	1	93	4
2	San Jose	California	69.3	3	45	10
3	Irvine	California	69.3	2	62	14
4	Sioux Falls	South Dakota	68.7	9	53	5
5	Overland Park	Kansas	66.9	4	59	47
6	Lincoln	Nebraska	66.6	25	51	1
7	Madison	Wisconsin	65.8	15	24	9
8	Scottsdale	Arizona	65.2	22	10	15
9	San Francisco	California	65.0	6	68	43
10	Huntington Beach	California	64.7	11	80	39
11	Omaha	Nebraska	64.3	36	89	2
11	Bismarck	North Dakota	64.3	10	30	84
13	Seattle	Washington	64.1	5	4	135
14	Charleston	South Carolina	63.9	20	9	48
15	San Diego	California	63.8	21	27	23
16	Columbia	Maryland	63.5	7	162	83
17	Plano	Texas	62.8	13	66	51
18	Honolulu	Hawaii	62.5	26	52	29
18	South Burlington	Vermont	62.5	8	7	174
20	Garden Grove	California	62.4	32	61	13
21	Nashua	New Hampshire	62.0	50	105	3
22	Raleigh	North Carolina	61.6	16	88	60
23	Burlington	Vermont	61.4	27	1	152
24	Portland	Maine	61.2	30	6	94
25	Gilbert	Arizona	61.2	33	26	38
25	Pearl City	Hawaii	61.2	14	144	112
27	Chula Vista	California	61.2	35	77	22
28	Fargo	North Dakota	60.9	24	32	107
29	Durham	North Carolina	60.5	28	28	75
30	Anaheim	California	60.4	38	70	32
31	Santa Clarita	California	60.2	31	145	28
32	Santa Rosa	California	60.1	47	38	35
33	Rapid City	South Dakota	60.1	66	21	11
34	Oakland	California	59.9	19	120	76
34	Minneapolis	Minnesota	59.9	18	36	127
36	Jersey City	New Jersey	59.8	17	154	67
37	Cedar Rapids	Iowa	59.7	48	126	12
38	Glendale	California	59.7	41	121	26
39	Pembroke Pines	Florida	59.5	37	147	27
40	Chandler	Arizona	59.5	43	43	49
41	Rancho Cucamonga	California	59.3	56	79	24
41	Yonkers	New York	59.3	23	141	90
43	Oceanside	California	59.1	39	104	58
44	Chesapeake	Virginia	59.0	55	86	31
45	Boston	Massachusetts	58.9	40	18	97
46	Fort Lauderdale	Florida	58.7	46	78	54
47	Manchester	New Hampshire	58.6	77	81	6
48	Santa Ana	California	58.5	68	23	33
48	Aurora	Illinois	58.5	34	155	40
50	Cape Coral	Florida	58.3	72	83	8
51	Boise	Idaho	58.2	51	8	114
52	Charlotte	North Carolina	58.1	42	102	61
52	Cheyenne	Wyoming	58.1	73	39	25
54	Washington	District of Columbia	58.1	12	94	173
55	Grand Rapids	Michigan	57.7	83	19	19
56	Juneau	Alaska	57.4	29	35	178
56	Missoula	Montana	57.4	62	16	109
58	Anchorage	Alaska	57.0	63	71	63
59	Austin	Texas	56.9	44	22	142
60	Virginia Beach	Virginia	56.9	59	92	57
61	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	56.6	80	12	56
62	Warwick	Rhode Island	56.5	57	129	59
63	Oxnard	California	56.3	79	122	16
64	Peoria	Arizona	56.1	67	91	70
65	Des Moines	Iowa	55.9	70	112	45
66	Orlando	Florida	55.8	78	5	102
67	Nampa	Idaho	55.6	75	20	111
68	New York	New York	55.5	54	156	64
69	St. Petersburg	Florida	55.3	82	25	69
70	Tampa	Florida	55.2	87	46	46
71	Tempe	Arizona	55.2	61	17	167
72	Fontana	California	55.1	99	72	17
73	Port St. Lucie	Florida	54.9	96	49	36
74	Atlanta	Georgia	54.8	58	90	129
75	Portland	Oregon	54.8	49	96	148
76	Riverside	California	54.6	88	41	65
77	Los Angeles	California	54.5	71	107	81
78	St. Paul	Minnesota	54.5	60	127	113
79	Colorado Springs	Colorado	54.3	81	60	77
80	Casper	Wyoming	54.1	116	84	7
81	Irving	Texas	54.0	76	69	106
82	Miami	Florida	54.0	74	13	151
83	Mesa	Arizona	54.0	84	40	93
83	Worcester	Massachusetts	54.0	90	99	53
85	Salt Lake City	Utah	53.9	65	37	169
86	Ontario	California	53.9	108	65	30
87	Long Beach	California	53.6	69	148	87
88	Aurora	Colorado	53.6	52	158	140
89	Moreno Valley	California	53.6	104	110	20
90	Providence	Rhode Island	53.5	120	11	52
91	Bridgeport	Connecticut	53.4	86	170	18
92	Sacramento	California	53.3	91	31	110
93	Chicago	Illinois	53.0	53	179	99
94	Billings	Montana	52.9	101	56	86
94	Henderson	Nevada	52.9	92	128	55
96	Denver	Colorado	52.8	45	136	171
97	New Haven	Connecticut	52.7	126	47	34
98	Tallahassee	Florida	52.6	111	33	78
99	Albuquerque	New Mexico	52.4	89	64	120
100	Vancouver	Washington	52.3	64	117	172
101	Garland	Texas	52.2	93	115	85
102	Columbia	South Carolina	51.9	107	67	80
103	Modesto	California	51.7	122	74	50
104	Hialeah	Florida	51.5	94	101	104
104	Reno	Nevada	51.5	103	44	116
106	Phoenix	Arizona	51.1	97	85	128
107	Wilmington	Delaware	51.1	102	125	92
108	Huntsville	Alabama	51.0	124	48	91
109	Las Cruces	New Mexico	50.9	129	42	72
110	Winston-Salem	North Carolina	50.7	105	108	96
110	West Valley City	Utah	50.7	114	58	123
112	Stockton	California	50.6	110	103	95
113	Grand Prairie	Texas	50.4	106	146	82
114	Lexington-Fayette	Kentucky	50.4	98	151	101
115	Tacoma	Washington	50.2	85	133	161
116	Greensboro	North Carolina	50.1	100	109	138
117	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	49.3	145	130	21
118	Nashville	Tennessee	49.3	133	113	74
119	Jacksonville	Florida	49.2	139	123	41
120	Glendale	Arizona	49.1	115	97	131
121	Kansas City	Missouri	48.9	113	134	124
122	Spokane	Washington	48.8	135	14	150
123	Columbus	Ohio	48.8	127	157	73
124	Dallas	Texas	48.7	95	119	163
125	Fort Worth	Texas	48.5	121	138	117
126	Fresno	California	48.3	134	73	115
127	Bakersfield	California	48.0	137	135	68
128	Arlington	Texas	47.9	118	137	136
129	Newport News	Virginia	47.9	123	143	139
130	Fort Wayne	Indiana	47.8	132	153	89
131	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	47.8	125	163	103
132	Wichita	Kansas	47.8	119	118	149
133	Richmond	Virginia	47.4	109	150	162
134	Salem	Oregon	47.3	117	87	177
135	San Bernardino	California	47.2	149	76	79
136	Rochester	New York	47.1	136	95	145
137	Lewiston	Maine	46.8	163	2	134
138	Newark	New Jersey	46.7	112	174	143
139	New Orleans	Louisiana	46.6	148	106	88
140	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	46.4	140	114	122
141	Norfolk	Virginia	46.3	130	131	153
142	Tulsa	Oklahoma	46.1	167	82	37
143	Dover	Delaware	45.7	142	116	141
144	Springfield	Missouri	45.7	165	63	62
145	North Las Vegas	Nevada	45.6	151	160	66
146	Las Vegas	Nevada	45.4	140	159	118
147	Indianapolis	Indiana	45.3	138	173	98
148	Louisville	Kentucky	45.2	131	177	126
149	Chattanooga	Tennessee	44.9	160	124	71
150	Fayetteville	North Carolina	44.7	152	132	119
151	Houston	Texas	44.7	128	152	170
152	Laredo	Texas	44.6	164	3	155
153	Buffalo	New York	44.5	143	100	164
154	Cincinnati	Ohio	44.3	156	140	108
155	Lubbock	Texas	44.1	147	54	168
156	Amarillo	Texas	44.1	157	98	133
157	Charleston	West Virginia	43.9	171	15	132
158	El Paso	Texas	43.9	150	139	144
159	Knoxville	Tennessee	43.5	172	50	100
160	Little Rock	Arkansas	43.1	153	149	154
161	Tucson	Arizona	42.4	159	75	165
162	Baltimore	Maryland	42.3	144	172	158
163	St. Louis	Missouri	42.1	146	168	156
164	San Antonio	Texas	42.1	154	111	175
165	Columbus	Georgia	41.9	162	161	125
166	Baton Rouge	Louisiana	41.7	169	142	121
167	Corpus Christi	Texas	41.5	168	55	166
168	Shreveport	Louisiana	40.8	173	178	42
169	Akron	Ohio	40.0	174	164	105
170	Brownsville	Texas	39.5	179	57	130
171	Augusta	Georgia	39.3	161	167	176
172	Jackson	Mississippi	39.2	155	180	180
173	Mobile	Alabama	39.1	170	176	137
174	Montgomery	Alabama	38.5	158	175	181
175	Huntington	West Virginia	37.8	182	29	44
176	Birmingham	Alabama	37.3	166	171	179
177	Toledo	Ohio	36.3	180	165	146
178	Gulfport	Mississippi	35.9	178	169	147
179	Fort Smith	Arkansas	35.6	181	34	157
180	Memphis	Tennessee	34.9	175	182	160
181	Detroit	Michigan	34.2	177	181	159
182	Cleveland	Ohio	34.0	176	166	182