WalletHub, the personal finance company, recently delved into a study to determine the most and least stressed states in 2024.
“There are many different sources of stress, from inflation to work deadlines to relationship tensions,” WalletHub shared. “Last year, Americans’ biggest stressors included money, the economy and health-related issues, according to the American Psychological Association.”
Additionally, those that are under the age of 65 have reported being under more stress in recent times than they were prior to the pandemic. However, it was stated that overall stress levels are not uniform across the country and WalletHub compared the 50 states across 40 key indicators of stress.
Through this study, WalletHub worked to determine which states were better to reside in to live a more relaxed life. Key topics that were compared ranged from average hours worked, adequate sleep reports and more.
“There are plenty of small ways for people to manage stress, from staying active and participating in hobbies to taking vacations from work and getting help from a mental health professional. What many people don’t realize, though, is that changing location can also be a big stress reducer,” stated Cassandra Happe, an analyst at WalletHub.
Through the study, it was found that the state of Utah was ranked the third least-stressed state, with a score of 33.45, coming in just behind Minnesota (30.23) and South Dakota (31.94). On the other hand, the three most stressed states were clocked as Nevada (57.42), Mississippi (57.78) and Louisiana (57.84).
Utah was featured on a listing of the fewest average hours worked per week, the lowest percentage of population living in poverty and the lowest divorce rate. In terms of divorce rate, Utah was found ranked with a two-time difference against the worst state, which was New Mexico.