America's Best City For Money Management Skills In 2026 Is A Popular West Coast Destination
People with strong money management skills can make better use of their incomes and savings, allowing them to more effectively fund their lifestyle. To determine which cities have residents with the best of these skills, WalletHub compared 2,543 U.S. cities using 10 metrics covering debt levels and financial behavior. These included things like credit scores, debt-to-income ratios, credit utilization, late payments, delinquency, bankruptcy, and even foreclosure rates. The city that came out on top was Cupertino, California, a city of 60,000 in the heart of popular Silicon Valley.
WalletHub highlighted Cupertino's median credit score of 778 — which falls within the "very good" FICO range, according to Experian, as well as low median credit card debt — at $2,881 — and impressive incomes, at a median of $192,548. In addition to great money management skills, Cupertino residents also have plenty to enjoy in their city. From tech treasures like the Apple Park Visitor Center to parks like the Rancho San Antonio Preserve with incredible views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Cupertino is rich in both indoor and outdoor activities. Meanwhile, Main Street Cupertino overflows with shopping and dining opportunities in a unique mixed-use neighborhood.
Cupertino residents have had strong money management for years
While Cupertino residents do boast relatively high incomes, income alone is not enough to earn the title of the city with the best money management skills. In an era when credit card debt is exploding, Cupertino's debt-to-income combination is particularly impressive, with a ratio of 1.5% – the lowest in the country. Cupertino residents also use only about 25% of the credit available to them, the fifth-lowest among all cities included in the study. This not only indicates that residents generally keep their balances low, but also that they are able to pay off these balances monthly — something that can be especially important given that credit card debt can inflict sneaky damage to a person's net worth.
It is also worth mentioning that Cupertino's 2026 results were not an isolated result. In fact, WalletHub's 2025 study also placed Cupertino at the top, with remarkably similar figures including a median credit score of 778, a 1.5% credit card debt-to-income ratio, low credit utilization, and few delinquent payments.