Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Some cities help residents slow down with green space, low congestion, and supportive community amenities, which is so important.
To help you find a little more calm, LawnStarter ranked America’s most relaxed cities. We compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities across seven categories, including mental health, sleep, commute times, finances, and access to outdoor and wellness amenities, among 42 metrics.
Settle in and slow down. Among large cities, the following rose to the top for low-stress living in 2026.
15. New York, NY
- Overall Score: 55.84
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 4
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 29
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 76
- Work Stressors Rank: 86
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 47
- Social Stressors Rank: 34
- Recreation Options Rank: 1
14. Oakland, CA
- Overall Score: 55.88
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 26
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 12
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 29
- Work Stressors Rank: 59
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 4
- Social Stressors Rank: 51
- Recreation Options Rank: 14
13. Jersey City, NJ
- Overall Score: 55.98
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 5
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 19
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 47
- Work Stressors Rank: 89
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 56
- Social Stressors Rank: 3
- Recreation Options Rank: 24
12. Chicago, IL
- Overall Score: 56.17
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 2
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 42
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 28
- Work Stressors Rank: 79
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 87
- Social Stressors Rank: 23
- Recreation Options Rank: 8
11. Raleigh, NC
- Overall Score: 56.23
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 8
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 6
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 10
- Work Stressors Rank: 30
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 33
- Social Stressors Rank: 52
- Recreation Options Rank: 67
10. Minneapolis, MN
- Overall Score: 56.76
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 23
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 26
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 9
- Work Stressors Rank: 5
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 70
- Social Stressors Rank: 38
- Recreation Options Rank: 10
9. Madison, WI
- Overall Score: 56.92
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 28
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 9
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 16
- Work Stressors Rank: 1
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 62
- Social Stressors Rank: 12
- Recreation Options Rank: 28
8. Lincoln, NE
- Overall Score: 57.15
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 10
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 13
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 17
- Work Stressors Rank: 3
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 41
- Social Stressors Rank: 25
- Recreation Options Rank: 42
7. Honolulu, HI
- Overall Score: 58.33
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 14
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 11
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 44
- Work Stressors Rank: 4
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 1
- Social Stressors Rank: 19
- Recreation Options Rank: 20
6. Plano, TX
- Overall Score: 58.41
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 9
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 4
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 3
- Work Stressors Rank: 81
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 76
- Social Stressors Rank: 7
- Recreation Options Rank: 45
5. San Diego, CA
- Overall Score: 58.42
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 12
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 7
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 30
- Work Stressors Rank: 39
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 13
- Social Stressors Rank: 10
- Recreation Options Rank: 11
4. Irvine, CA
- Overall Score: 60.03
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 6
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 2
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 21
- Work Stressors Rank: 54
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 24
- Social Stressors Rank: 2
- Recreation Options Rank: 34
3. Seattle, WA
- Overall Score: 60.67
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 11
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 3
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 4
- Work Stressors Rank: 35
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 65
- Social Stressors Rank: 37
- Recreation Options Rank: 5
2. San Francisco, CA
- Overall Score: 61.15
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 1
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 22
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 11
- Work Stressors Rank: 76
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 2
- Social Stressors Rank: 29
- Recreation Options Rank: 2
1. San Jose, CA
- Overall Score: 62.04
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 3
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 1
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 6
- Work Stressors Rank: 50
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 3
- Social Stressors Rank: 17
- Recreation Options Rank: 36
Methodology
To rank 2026’s most relaxed cities, we compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities across 42 metrics, covering 7 themes.
- Mental Well-Being (14%)
- Physical Well-Being (19%)
- Financial Well-Being (12%)
- Work Stressors (12%)
- Environmental Stressors (14%)
- Social Stressors (6%)
- Recreation Options (23%)
We assigned each metric a weight based on its impact. The metrics are listed below.
To ensure fair comparisons, we divided the cities into 3 ranking groups — large, midsize, and small — based on the National Center for Education Statistics Locale Classifications and Criteria. Cities were categorized according to population size, allowing similar-sized cities to be evaluated against each other.
Each city earned a score out of 100 for every metric, category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its score across all metrics. The city with the highest Overall Score ranked “Most Relaxed” (No. 1).
Here are the metrics:
- Percentage of Adults Reporting Poor Mental Health in the Last Month
- Average Number of Poor Mental Health Days per Month
- Number of Mental Health Providers
- Depression Rate
- Suicide Rate (Past 5 Years)
- Inadequate-Sleep Rate
- Life Expectancy
- Leisure Physical Activity Rate
- Average Leisure Time Spent per Day in Hours (in State)
- Drug Overdose Deaths per 100,000 Residents
- Share of Adults With High Blood Pressure
- Share of Adults Who Have Had a Stroke
- Share of Adult Binge Drinkers
- Share of Adult Smokers
- Purchasing Power Index
- Housing Affordability
- Insured Rate
- Poverty Rate
- Food Insecurity Rate
- Average Workweek Length in Hours
- Average Commute Time in Minutes
- Transit Score
- Unemployment Rate
- Natural Hazards Index Score
- Historical Annual Number of Very Cold Days
- Historical Annual Number of Very Hot Days
- Historical Average Monthly Percentage of Sunshine
- Historical Median Air Quality Index
- Traffic Fatalities per 100,000 Residents
- Sex Offenders per 100,000 Residents
- Crime Index (Safer than % of American Cities)
- Separation and Divorce Rate
- Walk Score
- Bike Score
- Share of Population Within a 10-Minute Walk of a Park
- Share of Land Used for Parks and Recreation
- Number of Trails
- Public Gardens per 100,000 Residents
- Yard Size
- Yoga Studios
- Share of Homes With Pools
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