If you’ve been feeling stressed out lately, where you live might have something to do with it.
WalletHub examined 40 metrics across all 50 states to determine the most-stressed states in the US.
The metrics were divided into four categories, each weighted evenly: work-related stress, money-related stress, family-related stress, and health and safety-related stress.
Work-related stress factors included average hours worked per week, as well as each state’s job security and the unemployment rate.
Money-related stress was evaluated by measuring each state’s housing affordability, median credit score, and poverty rate, among other factors.
Family-related stress was determined by examining factors such as each state’s divorce rate and childcare costs.
The health and safety-related stress category ranked states based on factors such as crime rates, the share of adults getting adequate sleep, and residents’ self-reported health evaluations.
The analysis used data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Partnership for Women & Families, the FBI, and other sources.
These 20 states earned the highest rankings, making them the most-stressed states in the US. See if your home state is on the list.
20. Florida
WalletHub ranked Florida 40th in work-related stress, 19th in money-related stress, eighth in family-related stress, and 27th in health and safety-related stress.
It has the fifth-highest divorce rate among the 50 states.
19. Montana
Montana was ranked 46th in work-related stress, 9th in money-related stress, 24th in family-related stress, and 22nd in health and safety-related stress.
18. New York
New York residents experience the third-highest amount of family-related stress out of all 50 states, WalletHub found. The state also ranked 5th in work-related stress, 32nd in money-related stress, and 45th in health and safety-related stress.
The state is home to the third-least affordable housing among all states.
17. Michigan
Michigan was ranked 15th in work-related stress, 34th in money-related stress, 18th in family-related stress, and 14th in health and safety-related stress.
16. Indiana
Indiana’s work-related stress ranked 21st, its money-related stress ranked 17th, its family-related stress ranked 29th, and its health and safety-related stress ranked 19th.
15. Texas
Texas was ranked 19th in work-related stress, with residents working the second-most number of hours a week out of any state (tied with Louisiana).
Texas also ranked 28th in money-related stress, 31st in family-related stress, and 7th in health and safety-related stress.
14. Arizona
Arizona residents experience the 44th-most work-related stress, the 12th-highest money-related stress, the 7th-most family-related stress, and the 17th-highest health and safety-related stress.
13. Wyoming
WalletHub ranked Wyoming second in work-related stress, with the state also having the second-lowest job security and the fifth-highest average work hours a week (tied with South Dakota).
It also ranked 16th in money-related stress, 40th in family-related stress, and 18th in health and safety-related stress.
12. California
California’s family-related stress was ranked the fifth-highest in the US. It was also ranked eighth in work-related stress, 18th in money-related stress, and 31st in health and safety-related stress.
California was found to have the least affordable housing in the US.
11. Tennessee
Tennessee ranked 34th in work-related stress, 13th in money-related stress, 23rd in family-related stress, and fifth in health and safety-related stress. WalletHub reported it has the third-highest crime rate per capita among all states.
10. Alabama
Alabama’s work-related stress ranked 43rd, its money-related stress ranked sixth, its family-related stress ranked 14th, and its health and safety-related stress ranked 10th.
Alabama tied with Louisiana for the state with the highest poverty rate and for the state with the lowest median credit score.
9. Mississippi
WalletHub found that Mississippi residents experience the highest ranking of money-related stress, with residents working the fourth-most hours a week and having the lowest credit scores out of any state.
Mississippi was ranked 36th in work-related stress, though it ranked fourth-highest in job security.
It also ranked 33rd in family-related stress and ninth in health and safety-related stress.
8. Oregon
Oregon ranked 39th in work-related stress, 11th in money-related stress, second in family-related stress, and 12th in health and safety-related stress.
7. Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s money-related stress and family-related stress were both ranked 10th. Its work-related stress ranked 24th, and its health and safety-related stress ranked eighth.
6. Nevada
Nevada ranked 31st in work-related stress, eighth in money-related stress, 11th in family-related stress, and fourth in health and safety-related stress.
It has the second-highest divorce rate and the fifth-least affordable housing, per the report.
5. Arkansas
WalletHub found that Arkansas residents experience the highest amount of health and safety-related stress and the second-highest amount of money-related stress. The state was also ranked 33rd in work-related stress and 25th in family-related stress.
4. West Virginia
West Virginia ranked 13th in work-related stress, fourth in money-related stress, 17th in family-related stress, and third in health and safety-related stress.
Per WalletHub’s study, the state had the highest percentage of adults who reported being in fair or poor health.
3. New Mexico
New Mexico ranked first in family-related stress, with the highest divorce rate of any state.
Its work-related stress ranked 29th, its money-related stress ranked fifth, and its health and safety-related stress ranked 13th, with the highest crime rate per capita, rounding out its placement as the third-most stressful state overall.
2. Kentucky
Kentucky was found to be the second-most stressful state overall in WalletHub’s ranking.
It ranked third-highest in work-related stress, seventh-highest in money-related stress, fourth-highest in family-related stress, and sixth-highest in health and safety-related stress.
WalletHub’s analysis found that Kentucky has the fifth-highest poverty rate and the fourth-highest percentage of adults who self-reported their health as fair or poor.
1. Louisiana
Louisiana was found to have the highest level of work-related stress, in part because it has the lowest job security of any state. Residents also work the second-most hours per week (tied with Texas).
Louisiana ranked third in money-related stress. It tied with Alabama for the highest percentage of its population living in poverty.
It came in sixth in the ranking of family-related stress, with the third-highest divorce rate of any state.
Residents get the fourth-fewest average hours of sleep per night, contributing to its ranking of second in health and safety-related stress.
Overall, WalletHub ranked Louisiana as the most stressful state in the US with high rankings across all categories.
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