A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.
Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.
WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.
Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.
Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:
- No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
- No. 148 – Income and employment
- No. 158 – Community and environment
Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are
working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new
restaurants, inviting
Houston-born stars to perform at the
rodeo, or having a strong
job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people
keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.
Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.
"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."
Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.
This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:
- No. 70 – Irving
- No. 92 – Garland
- No. 106 – Grand Prairie
- No. 111 – Dallas
- No. 113 – Fort Worth
- No. 119 – Arlington
- No. 135 – Lubbock
- No. 137 – El Paso
- No. 140 – Laredo
- No. 143 – Amarillo
- No. 150 – Brownsville
- No. 154 – San Antonio
- No. 155 – Corpus Christi
