YONKERS, NY — If you believe that happiness is the truth, you don’t need to go far to find one of the happiest cities in the U.S., according to a just released survey.
With International Day of Happiness coming up this month on March 20, the personal finance website WalletHub released its report on 2026’s Happiest Cities in America and Yonkers was named among the very happiest cities in America, coming in at number 38. Other New York locations on the list included NYC at number 59, Rochester at 142, and Buffalo at 149,
The researchers at WalletHub say that it’s vital for people to boost their happiness through family, friends, activities, entertainment or work. However, they say that people might not realize that where they live may also determine how happy they are.
According to the survey’s authors, location plays a big hand in how bright or gloomy our days are. Researchers who have studied the science of happiness have found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being, and WalletHub considered all of these factors.
The study, however, found that money can only make you so happy – people who make $75,000 a year won’t get any higher satisfaction from more money. The authors noted that while the U.S. is one of the richest countries, it ranks only 24th on the World Happiness Report.
“When deciding where to live to maximize your happiness, you’ll want to pick a city that offers more than just a decent average income,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather, and caring neighbors.”
“Fremont, CA, is the happiest city in America, and one contributing factor is that the city has the highest share of households with an income above $75,000, at nearly 80 percent,” Lupo explained. “Studies have shown that increasing your income up to $75,000 also increases your happiness, but making more than that does not. People in Fremont also have the highest rate of life satisfaction, the seventh-lowest depression rate, and the fifth-highest average life expectancy in the country.”
In order to figure out where people in the U.S. are most content with their lives, WalletHub compared 180 of the largest U.S. cities across 29 key indicators of happiness, including depression rates, income growth, and average daily leisure time.
Although Yonkers isn’t the richest city in the Hudson Valley, its wealth of diversity and opportunities for all help to put smiles on residents faces, according to the WalletHub report.
Find the complete list of of the happiest cities in America, along with the detailed methodology here.
Top 20 Happiest Cities in America
Fremont, CABismarck, NDScottsdale, AZSouth Burlington, VT Fargo, NDOverland Park, KSCharleston, SC Irvine, CAGilbert, AZSan Jose, CABurlington, VTMadison, WIColumbia, MD Chandler, AZ Seattle, WAPlano, TX San Francisco, CALincoln, NEPortland, ME Tempe, AZ