If happiness is such a subjective, complex concept, how do you measure it?

“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,” WalletHub wrote in a March 10 news release.

Income, though, “has its limits,” with studies showing earning more than $75,000 annually does not equate to more happiness, the company said.

“Therefore, 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,” Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst, said in the release. “The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather, and caring neighbors.”

By analyzing 182 cities using a variety of metrics, WalletHub’s new report, Happiest Cities in America, identified the nation’s happiest cities, and one Northern California nabbed the top spot on the list.

To determine where Americans are happiest, WalletHub said it analyzed 182 of America’s largest cities “using insights from positive-psychology research.”

The company said it then looked at the cities across three dimensions: emotional and physical well-being; income and employment; and community and environment.

“Each city was evaluated across 29 key indicators of happiness, including depression rates, income growth, and average daily leisure time,” the personal finance company said.

Then, those metrics were each graded on a 100-point scale, with “100” representing the maximum happiness, according to the company.

WalletHub then took the weighted averages of all the metrics to derive a city’s happiness score.

With an overall score of 74.09, Fremont topped WalletHub’s list as the happiest city in America.

“One contributing factor is that the city has the highest share of households with an income above $75,000, at nearly 80%,” WalletHub said.

Fremont residents also have the highest rate of life satisfaction, the company said, adding that the city ranks seventh lowest for depression and fifth highest for life expectancy.

“Another contributing factor to Fremont’s happiness is the fact that it has the lowest separation and divorce rate in the country, at only 9.3%,” WalletHub said.

The finance company said it also appears Fremont residents care for themselves on a psychological level, with “the lowest share of adults who report having 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month."

“Finally, Fremont also ranks fifth among the most caring cities in America, and when people care for each other, they boost each other’s happiness,” WalletHub said.

The price for happiness, however, is a big one: The cost of living in Fremont is 64% higher than the national average, according to Payscale. The cost of housing is 126% higher than the national average.

The average home value in the San Francisco Bay Area community is $1,477,693, according to Zillow.

WalletHub also identified Fremont as the happiest city to live in 2025 and in May named the community as the best place to raise a family.

The city claimed the top spot to raise a family "due largely to economic factors," the company said.

"The city boasts one of the highest median family incomes after adjusting for the cost of living, at close to $130,000, and it has the third-lowest share of families living in poverty as well as the third-lowest share receiving food stamps," according to WalletHub.

Here are the 29 California cities on WalletHub’s list of happiest cities in the U.S., along with their overall scores:

Fremont (#1)

Irvine (#8): 67.99

San Jose (#10): 67.79

San Francisco (#17): 64.99

San Diego (#21): 64.25

Huntington Beach (#25): 62.80

Chula Vista (#30): 61.31

Santa Clarita (#40): 60.28

Glendale (#43): 46

Santa Rosa (#44): 59.99

Oceanside (#47): 59.79

Garden Grove (#48): 59.73

Rancho Cucamonga (#49):  59.69

Oakland (#52): 59.03

Anaheim (#55): 58.07

Santa Ana (#64): 56.80

Fontana (#72): 56.15

Oxnard (#74): 56.07

Sacramento (#80): 55.54

Ontario (#85): 54.77

Los Angeles (#87): 54.46

Riverside (#93): 54.19

Long Beach (#94): 54.18

Moreno Valley (#107): 52.33

Modesto (#112): 51.42

Stockton (#115): 50.18

Fresno (#136): 47.96

San Bernardino (#139): 47.72

Bakersfield (#152): 46.44

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Happiest city in America is Fremont, California, new study finds