Scottsdale Ranks 3rd Happiest City In America, Study Says

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale is one of the happiest places to live in the country, according to a national ranking — and the numbers back it up.

WalletHub's 2026 Happiest Cities in America report placed Scottsdale third among 182 of the nation's largest cities, trailing only Fremont, California, and Bismarck, North Dakota.

But for Arizona, the bigger story may be how many Valley cities made the top 30: Gilbert at No. 9, Chandler at No. 14, Tempe at No. 20, Peoria at No. 23 and Mesa at No. 29.

The personal finance website analyzed cities across 29 indicators tied to happiness and quality of life, including depression rates, sleep, income growth, commute times, divorce rates and daily leisure time.

Scottsdale’s third‑place finish was driven by strong health and activity numbers.

More than 88% of adults reported being in good or better health, and nearly 87% said they participate in regular physical activity — both among the highest rates in the study.

The city ranked second in Community & Environment and 14th in Income & Employment.

Gilbert, the Valley’s second‑highest finisher, ranked sixth nationally in Community & Environment and 14th in Emotional & Physical Well‑Being, putting it just outside the top five overall.

Fremont took the top spot, with the nation's highest life satisfaction rate, the lowest separation and divorce rate and the highest share of households earning more than $75,000 a year. Bismarck ranked second on the strength of health outcomes and the largest average amount of daily leisure time among all cities studied.

At the other end of the list, Detroit ranked last among the 182 cities analyzed. Memphis, Shreveport, Cleveland and Huntington also landed in the bottom five.

WalletHub noted that the happiest cities weren't always the biggest or wealthiest. Researchers and contributors to the report pointed to factors like housing affordability, safety, access to green space and social connectedness as key drivers of daily happiness — alongside more basic measures like sleep and physical health.

The full report is available at WalletHub.com.