These are the Most-stressed Cities in the US

by David Klemt

There’s a simple argument to be made that one characteristic the happiest cities share is being among the least stressful to live.

Yesterday we took a look at the happiest cities in the US, according to WalletHub analysis. Click here in case you haven’t yet read that article.

Today, let’s check out the most- and least-stressed cities in America. As with their happiest and least-happy cities list, WalletHub ranks 182 cities based on stress levels.

Of course, “least stressed” doesn’t mean “stress-free.” Nor should it—some stress is good for us. After all, stress can push us to perform our best, bring out our problem-solving creativity, and even energize us.

The rankings below may surprise you. Like me, you may even find yourself raising an eyebrow and disagreeing with some of them.

However, it’s a compelling list worth reviewing if you’re an operator, leadership team member, hospitality professional, or in the site-selection portion of opening a restaurant or bar.

The Top 25 Cities of Stress

When determining their results, WalletHub ranked 182 cities according to four main categories. Those categories are: work stress; financial stress; family stress; and health and safety stress. The categories consist of 40 key metrics in total.

I think it’s safe to assume that no city wants to be in the top 25 of this list, or even the top 50. Neither, I’m certain, does any city want to wear the crown of “Most Stressed US City.”

Unfortunately, someone must be number one. Below, the top 25 “Cities of Stress,” per WalletHub:

1. Cleveland, Ohio
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. Gulfport, Mississippi
4. Baltimore, Maryland
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Memphis, Tennessee
7. New Orleans, Louisiana
8. Birmingham, Alabama
9. Louis, Missouri
10. Toledo, Ohio
11. Augusta, Georgia
12. Jackson, Mississippi
13. North Las Vegas, Nevada
14. San Bernadino, California
15. Fayetteville, North Carolina
16. Akron, Ohio
17. Wilmington, Delaware
18. Houston, Texas
19. Montgomery, Alabama
20. Shreveport, Louisiana
21. Cincinnati, Ohio
22. Newark, New Jersey
23. Mobile, Alabama
24. Columbus, Georgia
25. Indianapolis, Indiana

Alas (I don’t get to use this word much), Ohio has four cities on this list. In fact, the Buckeye State has two cities in the top ten.

Of course, Ohio isn’t the only state with multiple cities in the top 25 stressed cities. Alabama has three cities among the top 25. Also, Mississippi and Louisiana each have two cities on this part of the list, unfortunately.

Cities 26 Through 91

As you’ll see below, Ohio shows up a couple of times in this portion of the list. However, so do a handful of other states.

For example, ten Texas cities land on this part of the list. That means Texas has 11 cities among the “top” half of the most-stressed US cities.

26. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
27. Las Vegas, Nevada
28. Huntington, West Virginia
29. Springfield, Missouri
30. Dover, Delaware
31. Norfolk, Virginia
32. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
33. Chicago, IL
34. Newport News, Virginia
35. Washington, DC
36. Dallas, Texas
37. Richmond, Virginia
38. Tulsa, Oklahoma
39. Chattanooga, Tennessee
40. Bridgeport, Connecticut
41. San Antonia, Texas
42. Atlanta, Georgia
43. Glendale, Arizona
44. New York, New York
45. Tucson, Arizona
46. Columbia, South Carolina
47. Columbus, Ohio
48. Knoxville, Tennessee
49. New Haven, Connecticut
50. Brownsville, Texas
51. Rochester, New York
52. Casper, Wyoming
53. Vancouver, Washington
54. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
55. Jacksonville, Florida
56. Corpus Christi, Texas
57. Charleston, West Virginia
58. Henderson, Nevada
59. Phoenix, Arizona
60. Modesto, California
61. Wichita, Kansas
62. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
63. Little Rock, Arkansas
64. Moreno Valley, California
65. Louisville, Kentucky
66. Stockton, California
67. Spokane, Washington
68. Fresno, California
69. Miami, Florida
70. Kansas City, Missouri
71. El Paso, Texas
72. Salem, Oregon
73. Hialeah, Hawaii
74. Los Angeles, California
75. Fort Smith, Arizona
76. Fort Worth, Texas
77. Denver, Colorado
78. Arlington, Texas
79. Buffalo, New York
80. Greensboro, North Carolina
81. Bakersfield, California
82. Fort Wayne, Indiana
83. Providence, Rhode Island
84. Tacoma, Washington
85. Port St. Lucie, Florida
86. Lewiston, Maine
87. Laredo, Texas
88. Cape Coral, Florida
89. Grand Prairie, Texas
90. Garland, Texas
91. Aurora, Colorado

Cities 92 Through 137

This is where things begin to turn around, at least mathematically. This is the “bottom” half of the list.

Or, to phrase it another way, this section starts identifying the least-stressed cities in America.

92. Portland, Oregon
93. Ontario, California
94. Lubbock, Texas
95. Reno, Nevada
96. Huntsville, Alabama
97. Sacramento, California
98. Amarillo, Texas
99. Albuquerque, New Mexico
100. Tampa, Florida
101. Long Beach, California
102. Colorado Springs, Colorado
103. Fontana, California
104. Tallahassee, Florida
105. Las Cruces, New Mexico
106. Worchester, Massachusetts
107. Orlando, Florida
108. West Valley City, Utah
109. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
110. Peoria, Arizona
111. Riverside, California
112. Mesa, Arizona
113. Nashville, Tennessee
114. Des Moines, Iowa
115. Nampa, Idaho
116. Tempe, Arizona
117. Irving, Texas
118. Oakland, California
119. Grand Rapids, Michigan
120. Charlotte, North Carolina
121. Rancho Cucamonga, California
122. Boston, Massachusetts
123. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
124. Honolulu, Hawaii
125. Oceanside, California
126. Pearl City, Hawaii
127. Anchorage, Alaska
128. Warwick, Rhode Island
129. Virginia Beach, Virginia
130. Cheyenne, Wyoming
131. Petersburg, Florida
132. Chesapeake, Virginia
133. Billings, Montana
134. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
135. Durham, North Carolina
136. Santa Ana, California
137. Jersey City, New Jersey

Cities 138 through 182

Finally, we reach what cities, according to WalletHub analysis, experience the least amount of stress.

138. Salt Lake City, Utah
139. Aurora, Illinois
140. Santa Clarita, California
141. Glendale, California
142. Manchester, New Hampshire
143. Paul, Minnesota
144. Garden Grove, California
145. Pembroke Pines, Florida
146. Yonkers, New York
147. Chandler, Arizona
148. Oxnard, California
149. Juneau, Alaska
150. Anaheim, California
151. Santa Rosa, California
152. Chula Vista, California
153. Charleston, South Carolina
154. Raleigh, North Carolina
155. San Francisco, California
156. Huntington Beach, California
157. Omaha, Nebraska
158. San Diego, California
159. Gilbert, Arizona
160. Scottsdale, Arizona
161. Rapid City, South Dakota
162. Austin, Texas
163. Seattle, Washington
164. Minneapolis, Minnesota
165. Missoula, Montana
166. Boise, Idaho
167. Nashua, New Hampshire
168. Plano, Texas
169. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
170. Lincoln, Nebraska
171. Portland, Maine
172. Irvine, California
173. Burlington, Vermont
174. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
175. Bismarck, North Dakota
176. San Jose, California
177. Columbia, Maryland
178. Fargo, North Dakota
179. Overland Park, Kansas
180. Madison, Wisconsin
181. South Burlington, Vermont
182. Fremont, California

Twelve of the cities on this part of the list are in California. Further, the least-stressed city in California: Fremont. If you read yesterday’s article, you know that WalletHub ranked Fremont, California, the happiest city in the US.

Image: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash