These are the most relaxed cities in America
Some cities help residents slow down with green space, low congestion, and supportive community amenities, which is so important, especially during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
To help you find a little more calm, LawnStarter ranked America’s Most Relaxed Cities. We compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities across 7 categories, including mental health, sleep, commute times, finances, and access to outdoor and wellness amenities, among 42 metrics.
Why is LawnStarter ranking the Most Relaxed Cities? Our front yards welcome us home from stressful commutes and our backyards often are an oasis of calm amid everyday life.
A little later, you’ll learn how some of our lawn mowing pros relax – proof that you can find your own calm wherever you live.
Curious if your city sets the pace for calm? Explore the full ranking below and unwind with our methodology to see how this study story came together.
Image Credit: PIKSEL / iStock.
Most Relaxed City Rankings
Settle in and slow down. These cities rose to the top for low-stress living in 2026.
Use the tabs above the table to switch between large, midsize, and small cities for fair comparisons.
City Size Definitions:
- Large: 250,000+ population
- Midsize: 100,000 to 249,000 population
- Small: Under 100,000 population
- Total cities ranked: Large (91), Midsize (236), Small (173)
Image Credit: istockphoto/GerardoBrucker.
No. 1 Large City Rank: San Jose, California
Overall Score: 62.04 | Population: ~990,000
San Jose’s rankings by category among large cities, 250,000+ population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 3rd
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 1st
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 6th
- Work Stressors Rank: 50th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 3rd
- Social Stressors Rank: 17th
- Recreation Options Rank: 36th
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
No. 2 Large City Rank: San Francisco
- Overall Score: 61.15 | Population: ~836,500
- San Francisco’s rankings by category among large cities, 250,000+ population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 1st
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 22nd
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 11th
- Work Stressors Rank: 76th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 2nd
- Social Stressors Rank: 29th
- Recreation Options Rank: 2nd
Image Credit: aiisha5 / istockphoto.
No. 3 Large City Rank: Seattle
- Overall Score: 60.67 | Population: ~741,500
- Seattle’s rankings by category among large cities, 250,000+ population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 11th
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 3rd
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 4th
- Work Stressors Rank: 35th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 65th
- Social Stressors Rank: 37th
- Recreation Options Rank: 5th
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
No. 1 Midsize City Rank: Sunnyvale, California (Suburb of San Francisco)
- Overall Score: 64.64 | Population: ~153,500
- Sunnyvale’s rankings by category among midsize cities, 100,000 to 249,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 1st
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 1st
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 17th
- Work Stressors Rank: 126th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 18th
- Social Stressors Rank: 38th
- Recreation Options Rank: 73rd
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto.
No. 2 Midsize City Rank: Naperville, Illinois (Suburb of Chicago)
- Overall Score: 64.2 | Population: ~149,500
- Naperville’s rankings by category among midsize cities, 100,000 to 249,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 4th
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 13th
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 2nd
- Work Stressors Rank: 224th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 210th
- Social Stressors Rank: 4th
- Recreation Options Rank: 56th
Image Credit: Serge Melki / Wiki Commons.
No. 3 Midsize City Rank: Carmel, Indiana (Suburb of Indianapolis)
- Overall Score: 63.98 | Population: ~100,500
- Carmel’s rankings by category among midsize cities, 100,000 to 249,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 12th
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 8th
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 2nd
- Work Stressors Rank: 93rd
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 164th
- Social Stressors Rank: 3rd
- Recreation Options Rank: 200th
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
No. 1 Small City Rank: Newton, Massachusetts (Suburb of Boston)
- Overall Score: 66.03 | Population: ~88,500
- Newton’s rankings by category among small cities, under 100,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 8th
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 9th
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 1st
- Work Stressors Rank: 106th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 84th
- Social Stressors Rank: 1st
- Recreation Options Rank: 12th
Michael Vi / iStock
No. 2 Small City Rank: Mountain View, California
- Overall Score: 64.67 | Population: ~82,500
- Mountain View’s rankings by category among small cities, under 100,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 2nd
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 3rd
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 22nd
- Work Stressors Rank: 129th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 13th
- Social Stressors Rank: 77th
- Recreation Options Rank: 6th
EricWoodbury8301 / Wiki Commons
No. 3 Small City Rank: Woodbury, Minnesota (Suburb of the Twin Cities)
- Overall Score: 63.52 | Population: ~77,000
- Woodbury’s rankings by category among small cities, under 100,000 population:
- Mental Well-Being Rank: 7th
- Physical Well-Being Rank: 14th
- Financial Well-Being Rank: 3rd
- Work Stressors Rank: 37th
- Environmental Stressors Rank: 101st
- Social Stressors Rank: 20th
- Recreation Options Rank: 83rd
Image Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock
Key Insights
Higher income helps keep stress in check. Out of the top 10 from each ranking (large, midsize, small), 26 of 30 earn a median income of $106,000 or more, well above the national median of $84,000. Only 4 large cities landed at or below that income mark: Honolulu (No. 7 Large), Lincoln, Nebraska (No. 8 Large), Madison, Wisconsin (No. 9 Large), and Minneapolis (No. 10 Large).
For residents who find joy in the outdoors, several cities stand out:
- Santa Barbara, California (No. 43 Small) leads with the most public gardens per capita.
- Anchorage, Alaska (No. 31 Large), West Palm Beach, Florida (No. 91 Midsize), and Fremont, California (No. 6 Midsize) dedicate more land to parks and recreation than most other cities.
- Colorado Springs (No. 38 Large) and Tucson, Arizona (No. 67 Large) provide extensive trail networks for those seeking to reset in nature.
California cities like Sunnyvale (No. 1 Midsize) and Milpitas (No. 4 Small) are keeping things lighter with some of the lowest depression rates in the country. But the Pacific Northwest is not feeling as sunny, with Spokane, Washington (No. 152 Midsize) and Eugene, Oregon (No. 168 Midsize) landing on the opposite side of the rankings with some of the highest depression rates, a trend often associated with long, cloudy seasons and seasonal affective disorder.
Stressed to the Limit: Flint, Michigan (No. 173 Small), Dayton, Ohio (No. 236 Midsize), and Detroit (No. 91 Large) struggle to find their calm, landing in last place for their corresponding rankings with some of the highest rates of smokers, blood pressure levels, and inadequate sleep among adults.
- Memphis, Tennessee (No. 90 Large) also sinks in the ranking with one of the highest traffic fatality rates, while Cleveland, Ohio (No. 88 Large) follows close behind.
Image Credit: shironosov // istockphoto.
Off the Clock With Our Pros
How do LawnStarter lawn mowing pros relax after a long day or week of mowing?
“Most days, it’s a hot shower and a giant iced sweet tea,” says Justin Stultz of Wildflower Lawn Care in Hutto, Texas, an Austin suburb.
“I’ve never been a huge reader, but my kids love reading,” he adds. “Recently, I started playing some mellow music and reading some books I’ve been meaning to read after a decade. It’s SUPER relaxing, and now I’m hooked on sci-fi.”
In Virginia Beach, Chelsea Morris, of High-Class Grass, says, “Mowing lawns is relaxing for me. I mean, I’m out in the fresh air, sucking up all the vitamin D the sun can dish out on my skin. … There’s always, and I mean ALWAYS a beautiful flower to stop and smell or cool-looking bugs doing weird bug stuff.
“And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that I live at the beach,” she adds. “There’s nothing like taking a moment when your face is red from busting ass in the heat of the day and your clothes are all sticking to the skin that’s practically melting off of you. …
“I take a little 30-minute side quest and go jump in the ocean. One ride in on a wave will reset your whole mind for the rest of the day and relax your soul.”
In Atlanta, Chuck Vogt of Metro Lawns, says, “Because of our line of work, lawn maintenance doesn’t really tax the brain. For relaxation when I return home, I smoke a cigar and play a game of chess.
“Playing chess activates those neural pathways that otherwise might go dormant,” he adds. “Very relaxing. Especially the cigar!”
Image Credit: Meeko Media/iStock
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 categories, metrics, and weights are listed in the table 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) and the lowest “Least Relaxed” in each ranking group: Large Cities (1-91), Midsize Cities (1-236), and Small Cities (1-173).
Image Credit: Paperkites/Istockphoto.
Final Thoughts: Everyday Calm Outdoors
Spending time in nature has been shown to improve sleep, reduce negative thinking, and lower stress.
Gardening brings many of the same rewards. Research highlights that tending to plants can increase self-esteem and ease anxiety while encouraging mindfulness through small, rewarding tasks.
Creating a personal retreat in your own yard doesn’t require much. Start with a few easy upgrades that invite you to step outside more often:
Install soft grass to feel the stress-relieving benefits of walking barefoot on grass.
- Add color with blooming perennials that return each season.
- Install a gentle water feature like a small pond or bird bath.
- Attract butterflies, birds, hummingbirds, and other wildlife to your backyard.
- Set up a hammock to lounge in or enjoy a backyard picnic.
Even a few minutes outside can shift your mood and slow your pace.
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This article originally appeared on LawnStarter.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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