Columbus ranks among world's happiest cities
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Are you happy? If you live in Columbus, you just might be.
For the first time, Columbus joins a list of the 200 happiest cities on Earth, according to the latest World Happiness Report. It's the only Ohio city to make the list and comes in ahead of other American cities like Boston, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
In addition to Columbus, 17 other U.S. cities were on the list. Despite this, the U.S. has fallen down the list, from a peak of 11th place in 2012 to 24th place this year. It's the first time in the report's 12-year history that the U.S. is ranked outside the top 20.
Despite the U.S.'s ranking, more of the country's cities have joined the list this year. New York ranks as the happiest city in the country, making the list at 17th place. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the second-happiest city in the U.S., coming in 30th place.
The report used a number of indicators it says contribute to happiness, including affordable housing, environmental impacts, inclusive policies, government transparency, and more.
The American cities on the list and their rank:
New York City (17)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (30)
San Diego (34)
Washington, D.C. (43)
Salt Lake City (56)
Columbus, Ohio (63)
Los Angeles (70)
Seattle (80)
Baltimore (84)
San Antonio (89)
Nashville, Tennessee (96)
Indianapolis (112)
San Jose, California (119)
Boston (131)
Portland, Oregon (141)
Orlando, Florida (176)
Phoenix (181)
Houston (198)
The World Happiness Report 2025 was released on Thursday – the International Day of Happiness.
For the eighth year in a row, Finland was named the happiest country. Nearby Denmark was second and its capital, Copenhagen, was named the happiest city.
To see the full Happy City Index, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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