The 20 US cities where people are the most stressed
Poverty is a contributing factor to stress.
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Health, Travel
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8 mins
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Business Insider
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Roya Shahidi
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Some cities in America are more stressed out than others, an analysis by WalletHub shows.
- Where you live can have a big impact on your level of stress.
- WalletHub evaluated 182 cities in the US based on four dimensions of stress.
- Detroit topped the most-stressed-cities list, due in part to its high unemployment and crime rate.
Whether it stems from receiving an unexpected bill or struggling with your workload, stress is often perceived as a personal matter.
But stress levels can also be shaped by more systemic factors such as poverty, crime, and childcare costs. For the most stressed cities in the US, poverty and high levels of violent crime consistently show up as contributing factors.
A recent study by WalletHub ranked 182 US cities based on four areas of stress: work, financial, family, and health and safety. The study evaluated the 150 most populated US cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state.
WalletHub evaluated the four areas using 39 metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest level of stress, and the results were then combined to determine each city's overall score.
For work stress, metrics included unemployment rate, average weekly work hours, job security, and traffic congestion.
Financial stress was evaluated with metrics such as median annual household income, share of households behind on bills, and the poverty rate. Family stress included factors such as separation and divorce rates, and childcare costs.
Health and safety stress included the share of adults who could not see a doctor because of cost, hate-crime incidents per capita, and the number of mass shootings.
Data for the ranking was compiled from federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as non-profits and research organizations.
The scores were then ranked from highest to lowest, with 100 being the highest level of stress.
Here's a list of the 20 most stressed cities in the US.
20. San Antonio
The San Antonio River Walk.
f11photo/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score (out of 100): 51.37
Work Stress Rank: 67
Financial Stress Rank: 48
Family Stress Rank: 17
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 17
19. Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Nicholas Klein/Getty Images
Total Score: 51.84
Work Stress Rank: 84
Financial Stress Rank: 14
Family Stress Rank: 42
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 34
18. Cincinnati
The Smale Riverfront Park in downtown Cincinnati.
alexeys/Getty Images
Total Score: 52.00
Work Stress Rank: 25
Financial Stress Rank: 24
Family Stress Rank: 36
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 40
17. Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia's skyline.
SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score: 52.27
Work Stress Rank: 109
Financial Stress Rank: 5
Family Stress Rank: 34
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 52
16. Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is Alabama's capital city.
Kruck20/Getty Images
Total Score: 52.59
Work Stress Rank: 108
Financial Stress Rank: 12
Family Stress Rank: 45
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 18
15. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The State Capitol Park in Baton Rouge is by the Mississippi River.
felixmizioznikov/Getty Images
Total Score: 52.95
Work Stress Rank: 52
Financial Stress Rank: 23
Family Stress Rank: 25
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 20
14. New Orleans
The historical LaBrance House in New Orleans' French Quarter.
Delpixart/Getty Images
Total Score: 53.89
Work Stress Rank: 71
Financial Stress Rank: 10
Family Stress Rank: 41
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 24
13. Houston
The Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston.
Nantiya Rattanatum/Getty Images
Total Score: 54.18
Work Stress Rank: 11
Financial Stress Rank: 56
Family Stress Rank: 15
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 8
12. Toledo, Ohio
The Maumee River runs through Toledo.
Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images
Work Stress Rank: 74
Financial Stress Rank: 15
Family Stress Rank: 11
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 23
11. Birmingham, Alabama
The downtown cityscape of Birmingham, Alabama.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Total Score: 54.42
Work Stress Rank: 119
Financial Stress Rank: 20
Family Stress Rank: 4
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 11
10. St. Louis
St Louis' city centre framed by the Gateway Arch monument.
Wirestock/Getty Images
Total Score: 54.60
Work Stress Rank: 24
Financial Stress Rank: 8
Family Stress Rank: 67
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 13
9. Akron, Ohio
The downtown skyline of Akron, Ohio.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score: 55.14
Work Stress Rank: 35
Financial Stress Rank: 18
Family Stress Rank: 9
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 22
8. Jackson, Mississippi
The Jackson cityscape at dusk.
SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score: 56.03
Work Stress Rank: 39
Financial Stress Rank: 6
Family Stress Rank: 37
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 10
7. Philadelphia
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway leads to the Philadelphia City Hall.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Total Score: 56.61
Work Stress Rank: 5
Financial Stress Rank: 9
Family Stress Rank: 33
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 26
6. Gulfport, Mississippi
A water tower in Gulfport, which is a port city.
Rex_Wholster/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score: 56.90
Work Stress Rank: 156
Financial Stress Rank: 17
Family Stress Rank: 1
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 7
5. Shreveport, Louisiana
The downtown Shreveport skyline can be seen from the Shreveport Railroad Bridge South.
McFarlandPhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Total Score: 57.75
Work Stress Rank: 99
Financial Stress Rank: 4
Family Stress Rank: 8
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 3
4. Memphis, Tennessee
Blues clubs on Memphis' historic Beale Street.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Total Score: 59.24
Work Stress Rank: 63
Financial Stress Rank: 7
Family Stress Rank: 5
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 1
3. Cleveland
The Cleveland skyline is visible from the Cuyahoga River.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Total Score: 59.35
Work Stress Rank: 111
Financial Stress Rank: 1
Family Stress Rank: 6
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 4
With low median household income, the second-highest poverty rate, and the highest separation and divorce rate among the cities analyzed, Cleveland has the third-most stressed residents in the US, WalletHub reported.
2. Baltimore
The Washington Monument in Baltimore.
Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Total Score: 59.73
Work Stress Rank: 1
Financial Stress Rank: 2
Family Stress Rank: 18
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 31
Baltimore came in second. Contributing factors include expensive rent — the average annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment is nearly 38% of the city's median household income — and one of the highest violent crime rates among the cities analyzed, WalletHub reported.
1. Detroit
Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images
Total Score: 62.78
Work Stress Rank: 14
Financial Stress Rank: 3
Family Stress Rank: 2
Health & Safety Stress Rank: 2
Detroit topped the ranking as the most stressed city in the US. This is partly attributed to it having the highest unemployment rate (10.4%) and poverty rate (32.7%) among cities in the study, as well as one of the highest violent crime rates.
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