We could all use a little less stress in our lives. From depression to increased rates of coronary disease, the long-term impacts of stress have been well documented. And yet, data show that stress levels continue to rise in American adults, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stress varies across demographic and geographic lines. Young adults aged 18 to 24 consistently report the highest levels of stress. Lower-income communities and urban populations also tend to experience more turmoil due to factors like financial instability, high living costs, and limited access to healthcare.
A recent analysis by WalletHub ranked the most and least stressed cities in the U.S. using data from over a dozen sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FBI, Gun Violence Archive, County Health Rankings, and more. The rankings were based on 40 metrics across four key dimensions: work stress, financial stress, family stress, and health & safety stress.
The study ranked 182 cities. South Burlington, Vermont was named the least stressed city in America, while Detroit, Michigan topped the list as the most stressed.
California fared relatively well in the rankings. No California city landed in the top 25 most stressed. In fact, two of the five least stressed cities were located in the Golden State.
California’s Most Stressed Cities:
San Bernardino (#29)
Modesto (#33)
Moreno Valley (#48)
Fresno (#52)
Los Angeles (#59)
California’s Least Stressed Cities
Fremont (#181)
Irvine (#179)
San Jose (#172)
Huntington Beach (#160)
San Diego (#154)
Read the full report and methodology here.
List and data were compiled by WalletHub and do not reflect statistics on all cities.