FILE - A businessman sits at his office desk, his forehead held in his hands, his elbows propped up on the desk before him. (Photo by Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Everyone has or will experience stress of some type as they go through life.
In the past few years, though, Americans have been experiencing elevated levels of stress with record-high inflation and economic uncertainty, according to a recent WalletHub study.
But which cities have the most stressed people in the United States?
Here’s what WalletHub found.
Map: Top 20 most and least stressed cities in the US
For the full list of 180 cities and where they ranked, click here.
Dig deeper:
To determine a city’s stress levels, WalletHub looked at several factors, including:
- Work stress
- Financial stress
- Family stress
- Health and safety stress
Each of these factors had their own set of subfactors such as crime rates, mass shootings, divorce rates, house affordability, and so on.
Detroit, Michigan, topped the list of the most stressed cities in the U.S. One of the biggest contributing factors to its ranking was due to high unemployment rates, poverty rates and family structure stress.
By the numbers:
Detroit
- 11.4% unemployment rate (Highest in the U.S.)
- 31.5% poverty rate (Highest in the U.S.)
Outside financial stress, people who live in Cleveland, Ohio, reported the highest separation and divorce rates in the country, according to WalletHub, ranking it as the second most-stressed city in the U.S.
Cleveland
- 41% divorce rate
- 22% report 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month
- 45% sleep less than seven hours a night
What they're saying:
"SomCities 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," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said.
Why you should care:
The American Psychiatric Association’s 2024 mental health poll found that 43% of U.S. adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year.
A large chunk of their worries (77%) stemmed from the state of the economy. Forty percent identified their lack of sleep due to stress had the largest impact on their mental health.
Some of the most common stress management strategies for adults were:
- Praying in private (51%)
- Playing online games (24%)
- Exercising (22%)
- Shopping (18%)
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a WalletHub study from July 7, 2025. WalletHub collected data (as of April 28, 2025) from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, INRIX, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Indeed, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, County Health Ranking, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, TransUnion, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Council for Community and Economic Research, Numbeo, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, ATTOM, a property data provider - U.S. Home Equity and Underwater Report, ATTOM, a property data provider - U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, and Gun Violence Archive. Information from the American Psychological Association's 2024 Stress in America report also contributed.