Methodology

To create the list, WalletHub compared all 50 U.S. states on 40 different metrics across four key dimensions:

• Work-related stress, including average hours worked per week, average commute time, and job security (25 points)
• Money-related stress, including median income, median credit score, and economic security score (25 points)
• Family-related stress, including separation and divorce rates, childcare costs, and parental stress (25 points)
• Health- and safety-related stress, including share of adults in fair or poor health, physical activity rate, and suicide rate (25 points)

Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most amount of stress. A weighted average across all metrics was used to determine a state's overall score and final ranking on the list.

WalletHub used data from several sources to create the list, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CDC, and FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

The most (and least) stressed states

According to WalletHub, the 10 most stressed states were:

1. Louisiana
2. Kentucky
3. New Mexico
4. West Virginia
5. Arkansas
6. Nevada
7. Oklahoma
8. Oregon
9. Mississippi
10. Alabama

WalletHub also ranked states on several specific stress-related metrics, including:

• Average hours worked per week: Alaska had the most hours while Utah had the fewest.
• Average hours of sleep per night: Hawaii had the fewest hours while Vermont had the most.
• Percentage of adults in fair/poor health: West Virginia had the highest percentage while Vermont had the lowest.
• Job security: Louisiana had the lowest job security while Texas had the highest.
• Percentage of the population living in poverty: Mississippi and Louisiana were tied for the highest percentage while New Hampshire had the lowest.