Seattle just earned a top spot among America’s Most Relaxed Cities, according to a new study that was just released. The report highlights how certain cities are particularly good at helping residents slow down with attributes such as green space, low congestion, and “supportive community amenities.” We can definitely say that Seattle has two out of three! (Yes, Seattle traffic: that was aimed at you.)
Read on for all the details.
To build its ranking, LawnStarter evaluated the 500 largest U.S. cities across seven categories, including mental health, sleep, commute times, financial stability, and access to outdoor and wellness resources. In total, 42 metrics were analyzed. Cities were then grouped into large, medium, and small categories to ensure fair comparisons.
Among 91 large cities (those with over 250,000 residents), Seattle ranked third overall, surpassed only by San Jose and San Francisco. Two additional California cities, Irvine and San Diego, took fourth and fifth place. Seattle was the only city outside of California to break into the top five.
At the same time, the report ranked other Pacific Northwest cities such as Spokane, Washington (ranked 152 among midsize cities) and Eugene, Oregon (ranked 168) much lower than Seattle, noting that both cities have some of the highest depression rates in the country and attributing this to the weather and seasonal affective disorder. While Seattle deals with the same issue, its higher median income—around $121,000 as of 2024—may help buffer stress levels. LawnStarter found that 26 of the top 30 cities across all size groups have median incomes above $106,000, significantly higher than the national median of $84,000.
Seattle earned an overall score of 60.67. If you’d like to get a better idea of the full picture, here’s how the city performed in each category among large cities:
- Physical well-being: 3rd
- Financial well-being: 4th
- Recreation options: 5th
- Mental well-being: 11th
- Work stressors: 35th
- Social stressors: 37th
- Environmental stressors: 65th