New York City is known as much for Michelin-starred food as for excellent cheap eats, a dynamic arts and culture scene, soaring skyscrapers, sweeping green spaces, and a robust nightlife that gives it the name the “City that Never Sleeps.” But what truly defines the Big Apple is its diverse international population that leaves a unique imprint on this bustling metropolis.
Still, some may find it a bit surprising that New York City is the United States’ happiest city, according to the London-based Institute for Quality of Life’s recently released 2025 Happy City Index. After all, the city has a reputation for being crowded, loud, and chaotic, and it’s also very expensive to live there. But clearly the good outweighs the more challenging: New York has landed in the 17th spot on the list of the world’s happiest cities, and in the top spot for the United States.
What makes New York City the happiest city in the U.S.?
The Institute for Quality of Life identified six main categories it believes have the most direct impact on happiness: citizens, governance, environment, economy, health, and mobility. Within those are 26 subcategories, such as the availability of green space, educational systems, inclusive policies, and access to culture, including libraries. The organization used open data and interviews with residents and combined the qualitative and quantitative information to rank cities on a point system.
Based on this, it found that the world’s happiest cities are “committed to cultivating and growing happiness, where education, inclusive policies, the economy, mobility, environmental protection, access to green areas, and innovation,” according to the index.
New York City achieved the highest score among the U.S. cities that made the list, particularly excelling in the categories of governance, the economy, the environment, and citizens, for a total of 902 points. For comparison, the highest-ranking city in the world, Copenhagen, Denmark, received a total score of 1039.
Of course, the methodology is not perfect. The Institute for Quality of Life acknowledges that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to happiness and that cities are constantly changing. Additionally, only cities with reliable, measurable, and comparable data were considered. “We have no doubt that there are many beautiful places to live around the world, as well as cities that deserve to be part of our analysis. However, in some cases, we have been unable to find sufficient information on their achievements and performance,” the Happy City Index stated in the methodology section of its report.
The happiest cities in the United States, ranked
Here’s how the 10 happiest cities in the U.S. ranked. The number in the parentheses is the city’s global ranking.
- New York City, New York (17)
- Minneapolis, Minnesota (30)
- San Diego, California (34)
- Washington, D.C. (43)
- Salt Lake City, Utah (56)
- Columbus, Ohio (63)
- Los Angeles, California (70)
- Seattle, Washington (80)
- Baltimore, Maryland (84)
- San Antonio, Texas (89)
Further down the list are Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; and San Jose, California.
Why now is the time to visit New York City
New York City is one of the world’s most vibrant and energetic cities. It’s also one of the most connected cities in the world, with three area airports that receive thousands of flights a day from all six continents via about 100 international airlines, making it easy to visit from basically anywhere.
Things to do
Home to about 8 million people, New York City is divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. It’s situated on the East Coast of the U.S., with part of the city on the Atlantic Ocean coast and other parts surrounded by the Hudson and East Rivers, so there’s often a body of water within easy reach. Some of the best activities include a day at Coney Island or Rockaway Beach, taking a cruise or sailboat along the Hudson River for skyline and Statue of Liberty views, and relaxing at one of its waterfront parks, which often host free events, such as Little Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
New York City has more than 170 museums of varying sizes, disciplines, and experiences. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is reopening its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing on May 31, 2025, after four years of closure. It houses the Met’s collections of the Arts of Africa, Ancient Americas, and Oceania. In April, the beloved Frick Collection reopened after a five-year, $220 million renovation. The American Museum of Natural History opened its new Richard Gilder Center wing in 2023.
Other favorite art museums include MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim New York, and the Brooklyn Museum, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. History buffs can visit the Museum of the City of New York and the New York Historical Society for a deeper dive into the origins and evolution of New York. The Tenement Museum comprises two preserved tenement houses on the Lower East Side.
New York is also full of one-of-a-kind museums that share the character and history of the city, such as the Morgan Library & Museum, El Museo del Barrio, the Noguchi Museum, and the Museum of Broadway, which debuted at the end of 2022.
Seeing a show on Broadway is on many travelers’ bucket lists and for good reason. Aside from the dozens of must-see Broadway musicals and plays, the city is bursting with plenty of other theaters varying in size, plus cultural institutions like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall. This summer will also see the star-studded return of Shakespeare in the Park after the program was put on pause in 2024 while the Delacorte Theater was refurbished. Performances of Twelfth Night will run from August 7 to September 4, starring Lupita Nyong’o and her brother, Junior Nyong’o, as shipwrecked twins Viola and Sebastian. They will be joined by Peter Dinklage, Sandra Oh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Bill Camp.
New York City is home to one of the world’s most famous parks: Central Park, which covers 51 Manhattan city blocks north to south and is 843 acres. Famously designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, its carefully landscaped rolling hills and jutting rocks surround several lakes and ponds. Highlights inside the park include the Central Park Zoo, Wollman Rink, and the gorgeous Conservatory Garden. This spring, the park unveiled the Davis Center, with a brand-new pool and skating rink. The city is filled with dozens of other parks and green spaces; if you’re in Brooklyn, stop by Prospect Park, and in Queens the Flushing Meadows Corona Park still has the globe sculpture and other structures from when it hosted the World’s Fair in 1939 and 1964.
Where to eat
New York City’s food scene is legendary, ranging from Michelin-starred fine dining to slice joints and hot-dog carts—and everything in between. While it’s impossible to narrow down the dining options, for an upscale meal to remember, Eric Ripert’s three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin is hard to beat for sophisticated French fare, while Tatiana in Lincoln Center offers a modern take on Caribbean cuisine. For proof of the city’s impressive international flavors, try places like all-day Thai Diner, Indian hot spot Semma, Agi’s Counter for a Hungarian café menu, Oiji Mi for high-end Korean, Los Tacos No. 1 for street-style tacos, and Nami Nori for sushi hand rolls. Italian food is big here, and Rezdora, Cucina Alba, and Anton’s all offer incredible pasta and regional dishes.
Eating at least a slice, if not several, of New York pizza is a highly recommended. Some favorites include Lucali, Scarr’s, Una Pizza Napoletana, and the long-standing Louie & Ernie’s in the Bronx. The bakery scene also recently exploded in New York; be prepared to wait in line at cult hits Radio Bakery, Hani’s, Birdee, L’Appartment 4F, and inventor-of-the-cronut Dominque Ansel’s latest, Papa D’Amour, which opened last week.
Where to stay
Choosing a hotel in such a large city can be difficult, but the Surrey, a Corinthia Hotel, which opened at the end of last year after a 14-month renovation, is a stunning Upper East Side address. The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad is on the edge of Midtown, a bit removed from the fray. For something smaller and more boutique, consider Warren Street Hotel downtown. Made is a solid affordable option, as are the options on our list of best four-star hotels in the city.
