Cleveland, OH

Most Stressed U.S. Cities: Cleveland, Detroit continue to struggle in 2024

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5 months ago

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Cleveland, Ohio (Photo by DJ Johnson on Unsplash)

WASHINGTON — Stress is unavoidable in life. Whether it’s money troubles, family issues, or just the simple annoyances of everyday life, it’s almost guaranteed that something is going to stress us out at some point. However, a new poll finds that where you live plays a massive role in how you’re feeling. Unfortunately, for Americans living in two major Rust Belt cities, local living conditions are sending their stress levels off the charts.

Researchers with WalletHub compared over 180 U.S. cities based on 39 key factors that can lead to stress. These include financial stress, workplace stress, family conflicts, health issues, and local crime.

The study revealed that Americans in Cleveland, Ohio are dealing with more stress than anyone else in the nation. Cleveland residents have one of the country’s lowest average household incomes once you adjust for the current cost of living (under $41,000). The city also ranked second overall in terms of health and safety stress.

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Cleveland finished second in terms of the local poverty rate, divorce rate, and each resident getting the least amount of sleep. The only city worse than Cleveland in each of these categories was Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit finished second on this year’s list of the most stressed U.S. cities, narrowly missing out on the top spot by less than one point in WalletHub’s calculations.

Rounding out the top five stressed cities were Baltimore, Maryland (3rd), Memphis, Tennessee (4th), and Gulfport, Mississippi (5th). Unfortunately, it’s more of the same for the top three stressed cities, which finished in the same order on last year’s list.

“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,” says WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe in a statement.

Rush hour traffic jam in a cityRush hour traffic jam in a city
Major cities have an endless number of factors that can cause residents stress, from crime to gridlock traffic. (Photo by Fishman64 on Shutterstock)

Researchers note that money, health, and the economy are still Americans’ top stressors. However, three in five talk don’t about their stress with the main reason being that they don’t want to burden others. Estimates also show that stress in the workplace costs the economy more than $300 billion each year.

At the other end of the spectrum, Fremont, California (182nd), South Burlington, Vermont (181st), and Fargo, North Dakota (180th) finished at the bottom of 2024’s list — meaning they rank as the least-stressed cities in America.

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Elsewhere, Miami and Hialeah, Florida recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the country. For comparison, unemployment was 5.9 times lower in these cities than in Detroit.

Portland, Maine appears to be one of the healthiest places in America, having the lowest share of adults in fair or poor health. In comparison, there were 2.5 times fewer people in poor health in Portland, Maine than there were in Huntington, West Virginia, the city with the highest number of residents in poor health.

Most & Least Stressed Cities in America

Overall Rank*  City Total Score  Work Stress Rank  Financial Stress Rank  Family Stress Rank  Health & Safety Stress Rank 
1 Cleveland, OH 60.37 55 1 12 2
2 Detroit, MI 59.72 44 9 4 1
3 Baltimore, MD 58.30 5 2 16 38
4 Memphis, TN 57.12 53 4 15 6
5 Gulfport, MS 57.12 28 13 5 22
6 Philadelphia, PA 56.03 12 12 31 9
7 Birmingham, AL 55.96 57 18 11 3
8 Akron, OH 54.86 108 16 6 8
9 New Orleans, LA 54.02 25 3 65 20
10 Jackson, MS 53.43 68 10 41 14
11 St. Louis, MO 53.38 35 5 69 16
12 Montgomery, AL 53.10 114 6 40 7
13 Indianapolis, IN 52.41 19 17 42 37
14 Shreveport, LA 52.29 81 7 61 13
15 Newark, NJ 51.35 9 15 35 92
16 Mobile, AL 51.23 65 8 84 27
17 Milwaukee, WI 50.92 60 45 13 34
18 Houston, TX 50.92 13 72 36 17
19 San Bernardino, CA 50.83 112 35 2 53
20 San Antonio, TX 50.43 92 47 18 11
21 Baton Rouge, LA 50.02 69 23 70 15
22 Augusta, GA 49.80 89 21 39 29
23 Cincinnati, OH 49.45 41 31 48 36
24 Las Vegas, NV 49.11 32 37 29 76
25 Wilmington, DE 49.05 43 30 34 62
26 Toledo, OH 49.03 78 19 90 26
27 North Las Vegas, NV 48.87 128 32 3 84
28 Columbus, GA 48.80 150 11 47 55
29 Fresno, CA 48.58 139 39 1 117
30 Huntington, WV 48.54 180 20 79 5
31 Vancouver, WA 48.52 4 100 33 63
32 Fayetteville, NC 48.43 136 43 24 30
33 Chicago, IL 48.12 8 36 93 85
34 Salem, OR 47.74 117 113 21 12
35 Spokane, WA 47.68 107 107 7 54
36 New York, NY 47.59 6 51 75 105
37 Fort Smith, AR 47.57 147 27 80 10
38 Laredo, TX 47.44 181 22 14 57
39 Dover, DE 47.28 67 28 98 31
40 Modesto, CA 47.21 101 84 8 107
41 Dallas, TX 47.08 21 87 81 35
42 Los Angeles, CA 46.76 29 61 37 103
43 Little Rock, AR 46.74 88 14 119 50
44 Tucson, AZ 46.73 134 68 25 45
45 Rochester, NY 46.68 121 60 27 56
46 Washington, DC 46.65 15 99 28 108
47 Corpus Christi, TX 46.65 166 41 45 23
48 Charleston, WV 46.64 62 150 63 4
49 Louisville, KY 46.54 20 33 137 41
50 Buffalo, NY 46.52 64 78 51 43
51 Bridgeport, CT 46.32 7 34 101 140
52 Winston-Salem, NC 46.06 100 71 23 75
53 Newport News, VA 46.05 157 49 19 79
54 Richmond, VA 45.88 38 48 86 73
55 Kansas City, MO 45.79 47 91 103 19
56 Oklahoma City, OK 45.58 95 67 64 40
57 Knoxville, TN 45.50 153 65 72 21
58 Tacoma, WA 45.33 46 125 20 81
59 Norfolk, VA 45.30 138 46 60 48
60 Jacksonville, FL 45.30 118 38 59 67
61 El Paso, TX 45.21 158 44 43 61
62 Tulsa, OK 45.18 152 54 87 24
63 Bakersfield, CA 44.89 111 58 30 115
64 Ontario, CA 44.75 133 63 17 130
65 Fort Wayne, IN 44.54 84 64 82 66
66 Moreno Valley, CA 44.51 149 59 9 123
67 Columbus, OH 44.42 61 75 107 46
68 Fort Worth, TX 44.37 63 118 46 59
69 Worcester, MA 44.36 123 102 10 128
70 New Haven, CT 44.35 116 26 83 102
71 Brownsville, TX 44.12 167 40 55 65
72 Miami, FL 44.09 151 24 67 96
73 Hialeah, FL 44.07 168 29 32 127
74 Sacramento, CA 44.00 103 76 22 129
75 Arlington, TX 43.90 120 93 54 51
76 Columbia, SC 43.78 172 25 96 47
77 Phoenix, AZ 43.72 122 82 58 58
78 Grand Prairie, TX 43.63 51 104 73 64
79 Atlanta, GA 43.54 39 81 116 69
80 Denver, CO 43.44 1 122 150 86
81 Long Beach, CA 43.37 48 56 62 151
82 Portland, OR 43.35 10 130 102 106
83 Glendale, AZ 43.34 144 55 76 77
84 Albuquerque, NM 43.30 97 106 53 71
85 Springfield, MO 43.30 125 57 145 18
86 Greensboro, NC 43.22 113 83 56 93
87 Stockton, CA 42.88 104 62 66 119
88 Garland, TX 42.65 105 90 77 74
89 Reno, NV 42.65 110 129 49 70
90 West Valley City, UT 42.55 162 100 26 72
91 Chattanooga, TN 42.52 173 66 113 28
92 Aurora, CO 42.45 23 77 120 111
93 Oceanside, CA 42.20 22 116 74 159
94 Las Cruces, NM 42.15 119 52 108 97
95 Fontana, CA 42.02 161 69 38 136
96 Oakland, CA 41.95 11 141 68 149
97 Wichita, KS 41.85 129 74 130 44
98 Riverside, CA 41.68 148 73 57 118
99 Oxnard, CA 41.54 93 114 44 157
100 Henderson, NV 41.44 49 98 78 145
101 Nashville, TN 41.26 33 95 144 80
102 Glendale, CA 41.20 24 70 97 171
103 Tampa, FL 41.04 90 92 88 125
104 Tallahassee, FL 41.04 171 42 106 89
105 Colorado Springs, CO 40.89 142 132 52 99
106 Lubbock, TX 40.86 178 50 132 32
107 Port St. Lucie, FL 40.67 99 133 117 60
108 Des Moines, IA 40.54 58 97 135 91
109 Casper, WY 40.42 56 149 155 25
110 Santa Clarita, CA 40.37 31 53 123 172
111 Santa Ana, CA 40.13 140 108 71 126
112 Salt Lake City, UT 40.08 135 105 91 109
113 Charlotte, NC 39.98 42 137 99 139
114 Amarillo, TX 39.95 176 96 118 42
115 Peoria, AZ 39.79 59 94 127 124
116 Cape Coral, FL 39.78 85 80 129 132
117 Boston, MA 39.42 30 103 147 142
118 Pittsburgh, PA 39.19 131 86 143 82
119 Irving, TX 39.16 155 143 92 78
120 Mesa, AZ 39.06 163 109 94 104
121 Orlando, FL 39.04 177 79 95 101
122 Anaheim, CA 39.00 83 111 89 164
123 Garden Grove, CA 38.92 126 124 50 167
124 Providence, RI 38.82 96 88 134 131
125 Missoula, MT 38.56 127 139 142 52
126 Fort Lauderdale, FL 38.40 124 89 141 110
127 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 38.32 102 115 115 143
128 Huntsville, AL 38.07 175 131 126 49
129 Austin, TX 38.02 40 158 128 134
130 San Diego, CA 37.91 70 117 111 176
131 Chula Vista, CA 37.83 66 134 85 177
132 Pembroke Pines, FL 37.75 36 123 138 158
133 Anchorage, AK 37.70 79 167 114 113
134 Santa Rosa, CA 37.70 91 140 109 163
135 Lewiston, ME 37.66 159 120 163 39
136 Aurora, IL 37.63 54 136 133 141
137 Tempe, AZ 37.46 182 112 100 90
138 Billings, MT 37.26 130 152 166 33
139 Lexington-Fayette, KY 37.07 73 85 174 87
140 San Francisco, CA 37.00 3 169 140 179
141 St. Petersburg, FL 36.98 109 138 146 114
142 Cheyenne, WY 36.95 26 159 168 68
143 Honolulu, HI 36.92 76 121 124 175
144 Yonkers, NY 36.81 14 135 154 170
145 Chesapeake, VA 36.73 143 128 125 138
146 Seattle, WA 36.68 34 179 104 154
147 Omaha, NE 36.57 87 110 164 122
148 Jersey City, NJ 36.41 16 126 152 173
149 Huntington Beach, CA 36.21 50 165 112 166
150 Nampa, ID 36.02 154 119 162 88
151 St. Paul, MN 35.99 98 146 148 135
152 Pearl City, HI 35.93 2 155 157 174
153 Raleigh, NC 35.61 80 175 110 165
154 Juneau, AK 35.50 27 178 159 94
155 Warwick, RI 35.49 17 156 175 116
156 Chandler, AZ 35.46 160 144 121 146
157 Grand Rapids, MI 35.44 156 145 160 98
158 Cedar Rapids, IA 35.40 82 147 167 112
159 Minneapolis, MN 35.26 106 160 156 121
160 Scottsdale, AZ 35.12 52 153 158 162
161 Virginia Beach, VA 34.96 115 151 139 160
162 Manchester, NH 34.67 137 161 161 95
163 Durham, NC 34.60 164 170 105 144
164 Gilbert, AZ 33.75 170 127 151 155
165 Plano, TX 33.59 77 172 153 153
166 Columbia, MD 33.48 37 171 122 181
167 Irvine, CA 32.51 71 166 136 180
168 San Jose, CA 32.19 45 180 131 178
169 Charleston, SC 31.80 141 163 173 120
170 Madison, WI 31.67 145 174 149 168
171 Burlington, VT 31.64 179 154 171 100
172 Rapid City, SD 31.19 132 162 178 83
173 Overland Park, KS 30.95 72 168 169 169
174 Portland, ME 30.76 94 157 176 150
175 Nashua, NH 30.57 146 176 172 133
176 Boise, ID 30.03 174 173 165 147
177 Sioux Falls, SD 29.98 86 148 182 148
178 Bismarck, ND 29.49 74 177 179 137
179 Lincoln, NE 28.77 165 142 181 156
180 Fargo, ND 27.93 169 164 177 152
181 South Burlington, VT 27.81 75 182 180 161
182 Fremont, CA 27.52 18 181 170 182

Notes: *1=Most Stressed
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that metric category.

Methodology

In order to determine the most and least stressed cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across four key dimensions: 1) Work Stress, 2) Financial Stress, 3) Family Stress, and 4) Health & Safety Stress. The sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

Researchers evaluated the four dimensions using 39 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest levels of stress. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only.

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Finally, researchers determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.



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