SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A Bay Area city is the happiest in the United States according to a new international index. The 2026 Happy City Index put out by the London-based Institute for Quality of Life has placed San Francisco among the 50 happiest cities in the world — and the only U.S. city to crack the top 50.
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The overall 2026 Happy City Index of Gold Cities is topped by Danish capitol, Copenhagen, followed by Helsinki, Finland, Geneva, Switzerland, Uppsala, Sweden and Tokyo. San Francisco came in at no. 45, sandwiched between two Taiwanese cities, New Taipei City at no. 44, and Taipei City at no. 46.
Methodology behind study
Methodology for the index was based on a set of 64 indicators that were grouped into six themes. Indicators included cost of higher education compared to average annual salary, pair parental leave weeks at 50% or more of salary, population covered by medical insurance, average weekly working hours, and average number of paid vacation days.
Four methodological types were used to weigh the themes.
San Francisco achieved an overall score of 6,395. Copenhagen, for reference, scored 6,954.
The City by the Bay scored high across a variety of indicators, including Urban Innovation Ecosystem Planning, Cost of Higher Education Compared to Average Annual Salary, Voter Turnout in Last Local Election, AI Awareness in City Strategies, Recycling Rate, GDP per Capita, Percentage Deviation in Earnings Relative to the National Average, and Life Expectancy at Birth…