Seeing that it ranked 19th on WalletHub’s 2026 “Happiest Cities in America” hardly seemed noteworthy. 143 on the happiness list, where I was shocked to find the top financial spot held by another Maine city: Lewiston. In addition, Portland ranked 21st for income growth — also a factor in a previous listing, as a top 10 small city for career opportunities. Despite the lower income level, workers here aren’t getting run ragged, at least; WalletHub ranked the city 13th for weekly work hours. There’s a reason that, even with its high financial score, the city still managed to land in the list’s bottom quartile for overall happiness.