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Stress affects everyone. Although we cannot eliminate stress entirely from our lives, we can minimize it by choosing to reside in the least toxic environments. The good news is stress levels in 2016 reached their lowest point in a decade. The bad news is they’re back on the uptick this year.

During the 10-year period when stress was declining, Americans commonly identified “money, work and the economy” as their biggest sources of worry. Today, however, Americans also report increased anxiety over the election outcome, current political climate, uncertainty of our nation’s future and fear of violence.

But certain states have contributed more than others to elevating — or decreasing — stress levels in the U.S. WalletHub’s analysts therefore compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key indicators of stress to determine the places to avoid and achieve a more relaxing life. Our data set ranges from average hours worked per week to personal bankruptcy rate to share of adults getting adequate sleep. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and our full methodology.

For a more local analysis of this topic, please visit WalletHub’s ranking of the Most & Least Stressed Cities in America.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/32218/geochart.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2nvJPub;  

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Effective	Annual	Difference	Annual	Adjusted
1	Alaska	5.69%	$3,066	-46.85%	$4,237	6
2	Delaware	6.02%	$3,246	-43.74%	$3,830	1
3	Montana	6.92%	$3,728	-35.37%	$3,561	3
4	Wyoming	7.45%	$4,015	-30.40%	$4,312	2
5	Nevada	7.72%	$4,161	-27.86%	$4,028	7

 

Ask the Experts

For the best ways to cope with negative stressors, we turned to a panel of experts whose thoughts on the following key questions can be found below.

1. What tips do you have for fighting stress without spending money?
2. What steps can people take to reduce stressing over finances?
3. Should insurance companies cover treatments that help reduce stress?
4. What tips do you have for parents trying to minimize stress in their children?

Methodology

In order to determine the most and least stressed states, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions: 1) Work-Related Stress, 2) Money-Related Stress, 3) Family-Related Stress, 4) Health- & Safety-Related Stress.

We evaluated those dimensions using 33 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 level of stress.

We then calculated the overall score for each state and the District based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking.

Work-Related Stress – Total Points: 25

• Average Hours Worked per Week: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.92 Points)
• Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Job Security: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.85 Points)
• Income Growth Rate (2015 vs. 2014): Full Weight (~3.85 Points)

Money-Related Stress – Total Points: 25

• Median Income: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)Note
• Debt per Median Earnings: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Personal Bankruptcy Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Share of Population Living Below Poverty Line: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Family-Related Stress – Total Points: 25

• Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Share of Single Parents: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Cost of Childcare: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)Note
• “Parental-Leave Policy” Score: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Head Start Program Enrollment & Funding: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)Note
• Well-Being Index: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Health- & Safety-Related Stress – Total Points: 25

• Share of Adults Who Felt Stressed in the Past Day: Double Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Share of Adults in Fair or Poor Health: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Share of Adults Diagnosed with Depression: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Mental Health: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Unaffordability of Doctor Visits: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note
• Share of Population with Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note
• Psychologists per Capita: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Prevalence of Binge Drinking: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note
• Physical Activity Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Share of Adults Getting Adequate Sleep: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note
• Bullying Incidents Rate: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note
• Crime Rate per Capita: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Quality of Infrastructure: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)Note

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Health Foundation, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Council for Community and Economic Research, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, TransUnion, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Child Care Aware of America, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Institute for Early Education Research, Gallup-Healthways, Kaiser Family Foundation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and The Road Information Program.

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