You might know it for its overcrowded tourist hot spots and pricey cocktails. But for locals, New York City is a lot more than just Times Square and fine dining. Though New York is known as the least-friendly state in America, its pride and joy, New York City, was ranked the happiest of all U.S. cities in the 2025 Happy City Index. NYC, with its fast pace and busy streets, may be intense, but it excels at giving both its residents and visitors what makes people most fulfilled: walkability, culture, innovative infrastructure, and access to green spaces.
The study by Happy City Index looked at cities around the world, dividing them into tiers based on their rankings across six factors: citizens, governance, environment, economy, health, and mobility. The top tier, “Gold,” included 31 cities, with Copenhagen, Zurich, and Singapore in the highest three ranks, respectively. The first American city to show up in the list is New York City at position 17, only accompanied by one other U.S. city, Minneapolis, in position 30. NYC scored particularly high for its education, civic engagement, mental healthcare, widespread public transportation, and entrepreneurship. The report called New York “a global icon of finance, culture, and innovation” and “a leader in research and development.” What drives the city’s ranking here is less to do with weather and attitude, but rather focused on the efforts the city has made to support people and bring them together — things that even a traveler can tap into and find the city’s true charm beneath its “rude” stereotype.
What makes New York so happy?
In a city of over 9 million people, how do you keep everyone happy? For one thing, getting around easily is crucial. Public transportation connects people to jobs and friends and cuts down on traffic and pollution. The Happy City Index highlights how easy it is to pay for public transit in New York, with the city’s widespread electronic payment system. The subway’s tap-and-go system, OMNY, makes it super simple to quickly catch a train — instead of fumbling with swiping a card, you just tap your phone or contactless card. For those who prefer traveling around with the breeze, the city is very walkable, too, and walking around is the cheapest way to navigate New York on your next vacation.
New York City’s creativity and innovation are a given. Where else can you see a reconstructed Egyptian temple at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the world’s greatest wax museum at the Times Square Madame Tussauds, and plazas like Washington Square uniquely designed to host an array of street performers and craftspeople? Creative inspiration in New York is boundless, and this is evident in its innovative output. The Happy City Index reports just over 10 patents per 10,000 residents. You’ll see the city’s innovation not only in its bigger, bustling museums and squares but also in the less tourist-centric gems, like the Time Out Market, a sprawling food market converted from a Brooklyn warehouse, or Bushwick, the neighborhood brimming with art shows and nightlife.
