No matter where you live, you've likely been reaching for the stress ball over the past few years—the pandemic redefined our experience with stress about personal safety, while the resulting inflation continues to hit many Americans right in the wallets. But some areas are experiencing more stress than others. Earlier this year, WalletHub released a survey ranking every state on its residents' level of stress. Researchers analyzed four common areas of stress: Work, money, family, and health and safety. They looked at factors ranging from the number of hours worked and hours of quality sleep to the number of personal bankruptcies. Each state was rated from 1 to 100 (with 100 signifying the most stress). According to that analysis, these are the 10 most and least stressed states in the country.
10 | Least Stressed States: Virginia
Sean Pavone/ShutterstockOverall score: 37.53
The researchers found that Virginians are pretty stressed about work (coming in 14th among states), but they're quite comfortable about money (43rd) and their health and safety (47th).
9 | North Dakota
ShutterstockOverall score: 37.28
Although the survey found that North Dakotans experience enough work-related stress to land in the top 10 among states (ranking sixth overall), relatively low placings in money and family stress (44th and 48th, respectively), made it the ninth-least stressed state overall.
8 | Connecticut
ShutterstockOverall score: 37.17
Residents of Connecticut enjoy relatively low stress related to money (ranking 47th among states) and health and safety (43rd).
7 | New Jersey
iStockOverall score: 36.59
Although New Jersey is the 17th-most stressed state about work, its residents ranked 48th for amount of money stress and 42nd for health and safety stress, landing the Garden State as the seventh-least stressed state in the nation.
6 | Iowa
ShutterstockOverall score: 36.59
With nationwide rankings of 49th for money-related stress and 42nd for family-related stress, Iowa came in as the sixth-least-stressed state overall.
5 | Massachusetts
iStockOverall score: 36.55
Although Massachusetts ranked 16th among states for work-related stress, it ranked 49th for health-and-safety-related stress (perhaps because of the state's long reputation as the pioneer of universal healthcare) and 39th and 38th for money and family stress, respectively.
4 | South Dakota
RED87PUTRA / ShutterstockOverall score: 35.15
South Dakotans experience the least amount of family-related stress in the nation, the researchers found. That makes South Dakota the fourth-least stressed state nationwide, even though it only ranked 26th for health-and-safety-related stress.
3 | New Hampshire
ShutterstockOverall score: 34.97
New Hampshire ranked 47th for money-related stress and 45th for work-related stress, securing a berth as the third-least-stressed state in the U.S. overall.
2 | Utah
ShutterstockOverall score: 34.36
Utah is the second-least stressed state in the nation. Although money-related stress was relatively high (17th), Utah came in last for work-related stress and 49th for family-related stress.
1 | Minnesota
f11photo / ShutterstockWith an overall score of 30.42, Minnesota ranked as the least-stressed state in the country, finishing last among states for money-related stress and in the bottom 8 of all other metrics, including work-, family- and health-and-safety-related stress.
10 | Most Stressed States: Oklahoma
ShutterstockOverall score: 52.76
Oklahomans' stress levels are high across the board: They finished eighth for health and safety stress, 12th for money, 13th for work, and 14th for family.
9 | Texas
iStockOverall score: 53.34
Texas ranked fifth nationwide for both work and family stress, landing it at ninth place for stress nationwide.
8 | Kentucky
ShutterstockOverall score: 53.41
Although Kentucky ranked 22nd nationwide for work-related stress, the state's level of money and health and safety stress landed in the top 10 (eighth and fifth, respectively).
7 | Alabama
ShutterstockOverall score: 54.55
Researchers found that Alabamians are the country's second-most stressed about money and the sixth-most stressed about their health and safety.
1 | Arkansas
ShutterstockOverall score: 55.23
Arkansas residents are the country's most stressed about their health and safety, the survey found. They ranked fifth for money stress and ninth for work-related stress.
1 | Nevada
ShutterstockOverall score: 57.17
Nevada ranked as the #2 state for family stress. That, along with a tenth-place finish for money stress and #12 ranks for both work and health and safety stress put it as the fifth most stressed state.
1 | West Virginia
ShutterstockOverall score: 57.58
The researchers found that West Virginia ranks #2 among states for health-and-safety-related stress, and #6 for both family and money stress.
1 | New Mexico
Nick Fox / ShutterstockOverall score: 58.24
Although New Mexico ranked 26th among states for work-related stress, it ranked #1 for family-related stress and #3 for money-related stress, landing in the top three states for stress nationwide.
1 | Louisiana
Sean Pavone/ShutterstockOverall score: 58.32
Louisiana ranked third among states for work and health-and-safety stress, and fourth for money-related stress, coming in as the second-most stressed state overall.
1 | Mississippi
ShutterstockOverall score: 58.80
The researchers found that Mississippi was the most stressed state in the country over money, and the fourth most stressed about about work. Residents also rank in the top 10 for family (ninth) and health and safety stress (seventh).
