Irvine Outperforms Surf City On 2025’s Least Stressed U.S. Cities

Irvine is among the top four, and Huntington Beach is within the top 30 least stressed cities nationwide out of 182 of the most populous cities researched, according to a new study by Wallet Hub.

WalletHub found that in 2025, only South Burlington, Vermont, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Fremont, California were less stressful than Irvine.

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“Irvine and Orange County, for the most part, have local leaders that apparently tend to the needs and wants of the community,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “A lot of it is policy driven. Even in a crazy state like California, Orange County does seem to be holding its own.”

South Burlington, Sioux Falls, and Fremont finished ahead of Irvine due to advantages in the areas of income growth, commute times, and family-related stress.

South Burlington is number one in the share of adults with adequate sleep and they are best in the share of insured population, according to Lupo.

“Fremont is a pretty walkable area,” he added. “There’s access to public transportation and it’s very active while in Sioux Falls, there’s always a good economy and family structures are pretty strong.”

The annual study evaluated more than 180 U.S. cities based on stress around work, money, family, and health as well as safety.

Struggling with high unemployment, crime, weak family structures and high foreclosure rates, WalletHub found that Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, Gulfport, Mississippi, and Memphis are the most stressed cities in America.

“Most of these cities are poorly run,” Lupo said. “You hear about some type of corruption or mismanagement among these cities. So, it starts there.” The fact that both Northern and Southern California were represented on the high end of the ranking surprised Lupo.

Fremont is in between San Jose and San Mateo in the San Francisco Bay Area while Irvine is in Orange County, which is considered a suburb of Los Angeles.

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“These are cities to come live if you’re getting tired of what’s going on in downtown Los Angeles or in San Francisco,” Lupo told OrangeCountyLawyers.com.

On family-related stress, Irvine landed at 163rd, achieving the second-lowest separation and divorce rate in the nation while financially, Irvine ranked 167th with low foreclosure rates and an average credit score of 729. At 164th for work stress, Irvine has high job security, and employment stability.

“Irvine has extremely low rates of depression, suicide, smoking, and binge drinking,” Lupo said in a telephone interview. “It also has very high physical activity rates and a large share of insured residents, which shows the community values health and wellness.”

There are ongoing challenges in Irvine, however. The poverty rate in Irvine is near 12 percent and there is a lack of affordable housing, according to the study.

“You’re competing against people who are bringing cash to the table and a lot of times, particularly for first time home buyers looking to relocate, that is making a huge problem for them,” Lupo said.

The study shows that Huntington Beach has a lower poverty rate than Irvine at 7.5 percent but Surf City landed at No. 22 in the overall least stressful city ranking.

“Huntington Beach performs worse in several work-related stress metrics, including longer commutes, lower job security, and a greater share of households with no working adults,” said Lupo who added that it’s the city’s tendency to rely heavily on tourism and beach-related commerce, which may not support full-time employment or strong job growth.

“Programs aimed at diversifying the local economy and improving job training could help reduce Huntington Beach’s overall stress ranking,” Lupo said.