Among the top resolutions by Americans for 2025 are “to save more money” and “to focus on health,” and the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2025’s Best and Worst Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions. Coupled with expert commentary, the goal is to help people flourish from January through December.
Best Cities for Keeping Resolutions
Seattle, Washington was rated as the best city in the country for keeping New Year’s resolutions, followed by San Francisco, CA at number two; Scottsdale, AZ; Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; Portland; OR; Orlando, FL; San Diego, CA; Irvine, CA; and Fremont; CA. The Golden State boasts four of the top 10 resolution-keeping cities.
Worst Cities for Keeping Resolutions
Coming in at 173 was North Las Vegas, NV, followed by Huntington, WV; Detroit, MI; Augusta, GA; Dover, DE; Memphis, TN; Shreveport, LA; Gulfport, MS; Newark, NJ; and coming in last at number 182, Jackson, MS.
Best vs. Worst
Fremont, California, has the lowest share of obese adults – 3.4 times lower than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the highest.
South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest unemployment rate – 5.6 times lower than in Detroit, Michigan, the city with the highest.
Fremont, California, has the lowest share of delinquent debtors – 6.4 times lower than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the highest.
Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, have the lowest prevalence of adult binge drinking – two times lower than in Missoula, Montana, the city with the highest.
Seattle, Washington and Fremont, California, have the lowest share of adult smokers – 3.3 times lower than in Cleveland, Ohio, the city with the highest.
“Everyone has probably failed to keep a New Year’s resolution at one point, whether it’s losing weight, spending less money, quitting a vice or keeping up with a new hobby. The pressures of inflation, the busyness of everyday life, and the stress of the current news cycle certainly don’t help,” noted WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “Living in the right city can do wonders for resolutions, though. For example, 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.”
To view the full report, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-new-years-resolutions/28749
“Seattle is the best city for keeping your New Year’s resolutions, particularly those related to your physical and financial well-being. Seattle has the lowest percentage of physically inactive adults, at less than 13 percent, along with the sixth-lowest obesity rate in the country,” Lupo added. “In addition, Seattle has the second-lowest percentage of people who are delinquent on their debt payments, and residents have very low levels of debt relative to their incomes. Quitting vices is another common New Year’s resolution, and Seattle has the lowest percentage of adults who smoke daily or on most days.”
Expert Commentary with (Alannah) Shelby Rivers, PhD
Assistant Professor, Texas Woman’s University
Why do so many people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions? What can they do to increase their odds of success?
Behavioral changes can be very hard to implement, especially when we are trying to make something a habit. It can be easy for us to give up at the first signs of failure – the first day we skip going to the gym or the first time we go over budget, we might throw out the whole resolution. It is good to set ourselves challenging goals, but we need to be realistic with ourselves that we might not meet that goal every single day. It can help for us to focus on the expected benefits of what we are doing – even if it isn’t perfect. Setting smaller, monthly goals could help us maintain that steam. We also know that social support is a key contributor to meeting our goals, so sharing our resolutions with others who will encourage us could be one of the most effective ways to increase our odds of success.
Given that paying off debt and saving money has become more difficult in the past few years due to inflation, what should people keep in mind in order to make – and keep – realistic financial resolutions?
There is some research to suggest that approach-oriented goals (like saving a certain dollar amount) may be more effective than avoidance-oriented goals (like quitting impulse buys). In some ways this could just be a mindset shift. For example, instead of setting an avoidance-oriented resolution about not buying any new clothes, I could set an approach-oriented resolution to wear as many different pieces from my existing closet as possible, or to set up a clothing swap to refresh my options without spending. Giving ourselves time to refocus on why we are doing this can also be helpful. If we have a specific financial goal like paying off debt or saving for a specific purchase, giving ourselves a regular reminder of what that will mean for us can help us remember the benefits of what we are doing.
Does the phrasing of “New Year’s Resolutions” deter people from making them? How else can we refer to them?
I personally like the language of a ‘challenge’ because it taps into a lot of the motivational factors that can contribute to success and it helps me give myself a bit of grace when I fall short on certain days (weeks, or months). No matter what we call them, though, I think it is important for us to set goals and to share them with others who can support us – any time of the year.
