Minneapolis ranked among the world’s happiest cities

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A drone view of the City of Minneapolis. (FOX 9 / FOX 9)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis has been named one of the happiest cities in the world, according to a recent ranking by the Institute for Quality of Life. 

Happiest cities in the world

The backstory:

In this study, the Institute for Quality of Life ranks the 200 happiest cities across the globe on a number of factors. The institute takes into account five themes when ranking the happiest cities: citizens, governance, environment, economy and mobility. 

Minneapolis made it into the "Gold" section of the list, which is the top 31 happiest cities in the world. The city dropped from 18th place in 2024, to 30th place in 2025. The happiest city in the world, according to the ranking, is Copenhagen, Denmark.

Other ranked U.S. cities

Big picture view:

Here are the other U.S. cities ranked in the 2025 Happy City Index:

• New York City – 18th
• Minneapolis – 30th
• San Diego – 34th
• Washington D.C. – 43rd
• Salt Lake City, Utah – 56th
• Columbus, Ohio – 63rd
• Los Angeles – 70th
• Seattle – 80th
• Baltimore, Maryland – 84th
• San Antonio, Texas – 89th
• Nashville, Tennessee – 96th
• Indianapolis – 112th
• San Jose – 119th
• Boston – 131th
• Portland – 141th
• Orlando – 176th
• Phoenix – 181th
• Houston – 198th

To read about the full study, click here.

What they're saying:

The city celebrated the ranking in a news release on Thursday. In a provided statement, Mayor Jacob Frey said:

"Of course Minneapolis is one of the happiest cities in the world—that’s no surprise to those of us who call it home. Where else can you launch a startup in the morning, bike the Chain of Lakes at lunch and catch a game or a show at night? We’ve got big-city energy with backyard access to nature, and that makes life here pretty hard to beat."