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WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities across a series of metrics to determine the most stressed out urban environment in the country. The results will almost definitely surprise you.
If you had to choose the most stressed-out city in America, where could you pick? And what would you use to base your decision? For WalletHub, there were 39 different relevant metrics, broken down into work, financial, family, and health and safety stress. Examples included separation and divorce rates, median credit scores, housing affordability, share of underwater mortgages, underemployment, and more.
The most stressed city as of July 2024 is Cleveland, Ohio, largely due to the low median household income ($41,000 after adjusting for the cost of living). “It’s not just financial issues that stress out Cleveland residents, though. The city also has the second-highest separation and divorce rate in the country, at nearly 41%, along with the 19th-highest percentage of single-parent households,” noted WalletHub. Detroit, Michigan, Baltimore, Maryland, Memphis, Tennessee, and Gulfport, Mississippi joined Cleveland in the Top 5.
Where You Live Matters
“Some stress is out of our control, due to issues with family, friends or employers. However, where you live can play a big role in how stressed you are. Cities with high crime rates, weak economies, less effective public health and congested transportation systems naturally lead to elevated stress levels for residents. When moving, it’s important to consider how a certain city may impact your mental health – not just your financial opportunities,” wrote WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe.
When asked for her opinion on the top financial stressors for 2024, Texas Tech professor Feruzan Irani Williams said that “inflation which increases the cost of pretty much everything, including basics like groceries, which adds to the financial stresses of households across the nation.”
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