The cities where it's easiest to stick to your New Year’s resolutions
The cities where it's easiest to stick to your New Year’s resolutions
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Millions of Americans set out to change their habits at the start of each year — but we all know by summer, or even just February, many of those goals have fallen to the wayside.
While self-discipline plays a role, a new WalletHub study suggests that a city’s built-in advantages can make sticking to resolutions easier.
For 2026 resolutions, WalletHub evaluated 182 large U.S. cities to see where residents have the strongest environment for follow-through. The analysis used 57 indicators tied to self-improvement, spanning five broad categories: health, finances, school and work, bad habits, and relationships. It not only looked at people’s rate of setting resolutions, but also how where they live might help or hinder their ability to keep it.
“Living in the right city can do wonders for resolutions,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “Cities with good access to healthy food and exercise opportunities can make it much easier for people to improve their health. Cities with strong economies and good job markets can expedite finding a better career or improving your income.
“Finding out what your city excels in can help you set an achievable goal,” Lupo added.
Continue reading to see the 8 cities that topped the list.
1 / 8
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Fremont stands out for ranking first in both health resolutions and financial resolutions, helping offset a weaker school and work ranking of 129th to land in the top eight.
2 / 8
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Austin earns its spot thanks to a strong 13th-place ranking in school and work resolutions, even though it places lower in health (58th) and bad-habit resolutions (62nd).
3 / 8
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Orlando performs especially well in career-related goals, ranking sixth for school and work resolutions, which helps balance weaker results in financial resolutions (81st).
4 / 8
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Salt Lake City excels at avoiding bad habits, earning an eighth-place ranking in that category, while posting solid midrange results across health, financial, and work-related goals.
5 / 8
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Atlanta’s high overall placement is driven by strong rankings in financial resolutions (18th) and school and work resolutions (20th), even with a lower health score.
6 / 8
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Irvine shines in personal discipline, ranking second in health resolutions and sixth in bad-habit resolutions, helping it crack the top three.
7 / 8
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Scottsdale delivers consistently strong results, placing 11th in both health and school/work resolutions, which propels it to second place overall.
8 / 8
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Seattle tops the list thanks to great financial conditions, ranking third in financial resolutions, along with a strong overall balance across all categories.