Working too much? Not enough money? Spouse on your case? These are a smattering of things that can create chronic stress.
Excess stress can negatively affect a person’s health and over well-being and it is more prevalent in some areas of the United States than in others, according to WalletHub, an online educational and financial data resource.
WalletHub looked at 150 metropolitan areas in the United States and ranked them by more than two dozen factors that can lead to excess stress, including weekly hours worked, debt load and divorce and suicide rates. Such things as crime rate and availability of affordable housing also were taken into consideration, along with other life and health related factors.
Following are the 10 most stress-inducing cities, according to WalletHub, along with a few factors that led to the ranking. The report is available here.
10. Shreveport, La.
Shreveport residents have a lot of job stress, ranking ninth in the nation overall and dead last for job security.
9. Augusta, Ga.
In Augusta, residents ranked 12th in the nation for financial stress and 13th for family stress, along with a poor rating for health and safety stress.
8. Rochester, N.Y.
Rochester received poor marks on the stress tests because it has the fourth-highest poverty rate, fourth-highest divorce rate and the third-highest ranking for overall family stress.
7. San Bernardino, Calif.
In San Bernardino, many residents are unhealthy and poor. It has the fourth-highest rate of adults with only fair or poor health, the fifth-lowest median credit score and fifth-highest rate of poverty.
6. Birmingham, Ala.
Birmingham residents have the highest financial stress in the country, along with the second-highest crime rate and the third-highest divorce rate.
5. Miami
Although the job related stress in Miami is average, maybe because of the number of retirees, the family and financial stress is among the worst in the country.
4. Jackson, Miss.
Jackson ranks number one for family stress with the third-lowest median credit scores and the second-highest rate of residents in only fair or poor health.
3. Cleveland
Cleveland residents are stressed in part because they have the highest divorce rate in the country and the second-highest poverty rate.
2. Detroit
The Motor City has declined and continues to create stress for its residents, who rank first in health- and safety-related stress and second for financial stress. The cities residents have the lowest median credit scores and the highest poverty rate in the country.
1. Newark, N.J.
Newark won the ignoble title of being the most stressed metropolitan area in the country. Residents here have the second-lowest median credit score, are first for job-related stress and rank poorly in most other categories, including financial- and family-related stress and health- and safety-related stress.
