Methodology

To create the list, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities, including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, as well as least two of the most populated cities in each state. The cities were evaluated using 39 metrics across four key dimensions:

1.       Work stress, which includes average weekly work hours, job security, average commute time, and unemployment rate

2.       Financial stress, which includes median annual household income, foreclosure rate, personal bankruptcy rate, and food insecurity

3.       Family stress, which includes separation and divorce rate, share of single parent households, and childcare costs

4.       Health and safety stress, which includes the share of adults in fair or poor health, mental health, physical activity rate, and crime rate

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest levels of stress. A weighted average across all metrics was used to determine a city's overall score, and these scores were used to rank-order all the cities.

The most (and least) stressed US cities

According to WalletHub, the 10 most-stressed U.S. cities were:

1.       Detroit, MI (Score: 61.82)

2.       Cleveland, OH (Score: 60.83)

3.       Baltimore, MD (Score: 58.28)

4.       Gulfport, MS (Score: 57.75)

5.       Memphis, TN (Score: 57.57)

6.       Shreveport, LA (Score: 54.80)

7.       Philadelphia, PA (Score: 54.21)

8.       Toledo, OH (Score: 54.15)

9.       Birmingham, AL (Score: 54.09)

10.   Jackson, MS (Score: 53.60)

In comparison, the 10 least-stressed U.S. cities were:

1.       South Burlington, VT (Score: 26.75)

2.       Fremont, CA (Score: 27.88)

3.       Sioux Falls, SD (Score: 28.93)

4.       Irvine, CA (Score: 29.04)

5.       Burlington, VT (Score: 29.73)

6.       Fargo, ND (Score: 29.80)

7.       Bismarck, ND (Score: 29.92)

8.       Lincoln, NE (Score: 30.49)

9.       Overland Park, KS (Score: 31.16)

10.   Boise, ID (Score: 31.29)

Expert-backed tips for stress relief

To help people reduce stress, WalletHub spoke to experts about how employers can reduce work-related stress, how to manage financial stress, and more.

According to Rachel Wu, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of California, Riverside, flexibility from employers can help reduce work-related stress. "Personal issues often require flexibility in remote options or time off," Wu said. "As long as the work gets done at some other point, the employers could allow more flexibility to help employees."

Separately, Alisia Tran, an associate professor of counseling and counseling psychology at Arizona State University, recommends employers "[a]im to 'right size' workloads, responsibilities, expectations, and training for each employee or position" to help reduce burnout and turnover.

Tran also recommends employers be "clear, timely, and authentic" with their communication to reduce feelings of uncertainty and ambiguity, which can increase stress for workers.

When it comes to managing financial stress, Stuart Sidle, dean and professor at the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Mercy University, recommends people first set "small achievable goals, such as opening a specific account and learning key retirement account terminology."

"Avoid comparing your financial journey to others, as everyone's path is unique," Sidle said. "Instead, focus on your progress and take pride in your improvements, which can be incredibly empowering."

Suzie Duff, a professor and cochair of the department of human services at Palm Beach State College, suggests thinking about managing your finances as "an adventure that will help you get what you want in life."

"Visualizing the life you want gives you the motivation to look at your finances and come up with a plan to get you to the life you are envisioning," Duff said.

Finally, "[r]elaxation does not need to cost money," said Feruzan Irani Williams, a professor at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. "[I]t just needs you to be intentional about focusing on things other than work and stressors."

"Simple things like going for a walk or turning your phone off for a couple of hours would go a long way toward allowing you to relax, and these do not cost anything!" Irani Williams added.