The Saddest, Unhappiest Cities in America

Knoxville lands at #163 of 182, with a happiness score of 44.04. Its job market actually scores well, 26th in income and employment, but it ranks near the bottom on community and environment and on emotional and physical well-being, including one of the country's highest depression rates. The economy is a bright spot; the well-being measures are where it struggles.

St. Louis ranks #164, with a score of 43.53, and it's low across the board: 170th in income and employment, and in the bottom third for both well-being and community measures. No single category rescues the others.

Jackson comes in at #165 (42.60). Its weak spot is the economy, 177th of 182 in income and employment, though it scores better on community and environment at 64th. The income and job-security numbers are what pull its overall ranking down.

Charleston ranks #166 (42.18) on an unusual split: its job market is genuinely strong, 17th in income and employment, but it sits near the very bottom for emotional and physical well-being, with one of the nation's highest depression rates. The paychecks hold up better than the health metrics.

Gulfport is #167 (41.65). Community and environment is a real strength at 23rd, but it ranks 178th in emotional and physical well-being and low in income and employment, which pulls the overall score down despite the strong sense of place.

Montgomery lands at #168 (41.35), with low marks across all three categories and its weakest showing, 172nd, in income and employment.

Columbus ranks #169 (40.61). It's near the bottom in both income and employment at 174th and well-being at 170th; community and environment, at 116th, is the least weak of the three.

Baton Rouge comes in at #170 (40.47), in the bottom 15 for both well-being at 169th and community and environment at 165th, with income and employment only slightly better.

Birmingham ranks #171 (40.37), with consistently low scores: 161st in well-being, 165th in income and employment, and 170th in community and environment. No category stands out as a strength.

Baltimore lands at #172 (40.28). Its toughest categories are income and employment at 179th of 182 and community and environment at 176th; well-being, while still low, is its least-weak area.

Akron ranks #173 (40.11), in the bottom 15 for both well-being at 171st and income and employment at 168th. Community and environment, at 122nd, is the relative bright spot. It's one of three Ohio cities in the bottom 20.

Dover comes in at #174 (39.08), and it holds a notable distinction: last of all 182 cities in community and environment. Its well-being and income scores are low but not bottom-tier; the community measure is what sinks it.

Fort Smith ranks #175 (38.66). Its job market is middling, 56th in income and employment, but it sits at 180th of 182 in emotional and physical well-being, among the lowest in the country, which drives the overall ranking.

Augusta lands at #176 (38.24), with all three categories in the bottom 25: 172nd in well-being, 168th in community and environment, and 163rd in income and employment.

Toledo ranks #177 (37.21), near the bottom in every category, including 177th in well-being and 176th in income and employment. It's the second of the three Ohio cities here.

Huntington comes in at #178 (37.20) on the strength of one stark number: it ranks dead last, 182nd of 182, in emotional and physical well-being, and has the highest depression rate of any city in the study. Its job market, 22nd in income and employment, is actually strong, which makes the health gap stand out all the more.

Cleveland ranks #179 (36.50), in the bottom 12 across all three categories, and it has one of the lowest adequate-sleep rates in the country. It's the lowest-ranked of Ohio's cities here.

Shreveport lands at #180 (34.93), at or near the bottom in both income and employment at 180th and well-being at 179th. Community and environment, at 141st, is the only category outside the bottom handful.

Memphis ranks 181st of 182 (34.39), second-to-last overall and nearly last in two categories: 181st in income and employment and 179th in community and environment. Only one city scored lower.

Detroit is the lowest-ranked city in the study, 182nd of 182, with a score of 29.55, well below any other city. It ranks last in income and employment, second-to-last in well-being, and has the lowest adequate-sleep rate in the country. By WalletHub's measures, no large U.S. city scored lower in 2026.