Healthy Habits - The most stressed out states in America

  

Nevada has been named America's most stressed out state in a new study.

The analysis undertaken by Leafwell took the latest information from the Census Bureau, the BLS, the CDC, Google, HUD, and the Federal Reserve to analyze seven key metrics and uncover which state is the most stressed out.

These metrics included Google searches for ‘HELOC’ and common stress-related search terms, such as ‘stress relief’ and ‘stress remedies,’ employment metrics including unemployment rates, commute times, and household incomes, changes to housing prices, and the number of uninsured citizens, and gave a combined maximum stress score of 80.

The study found that Nevada is the most stressed out state in America, with a stress score of 67.42 out of 80. The Silver State has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 5.4 percent and the second-highest house value loss at -7 percent.

 

It also ranks twelfth overall for stress-related Google searches, with residents searching for 'Insomnia' and 'Anxiety' more than any other terms.

Texas comes second with a stress score of 64.64 out of 80. Of its under-65 population, 20.4 percent lack any health insurance. This ranks the Lone Star State highest in the nation and surpasses the national average of 9.4 percent. 

 

Additionally, Texas recorded a 4.1 percent unemployment rate, ranking fourth overall and exceeding the national average by 1 percent.

Georgia takes the third spot with a stress score of 62.87 out of 80. The Peach State has the second highest stress-related Google searches, with around one in every 100 people searching for terms such as ‘insomnia’ and ‘sleep meditation.’ It also has the fifth-highest percentage of citizens without health insurance, at 14.7 percent, 56 percent higher than the national average.

California ranks fourth with a stress score of 62.6 out of 80. The Golden State has the second worst employment rate in America, with 4.6 percent of its citizens out of work, and every month, 2,791.6 (around 59 school buses of people) search for stress-related Google search terms, placing it fourth highest nationally for this metric.

Arizona receives a stress score of 61.96 out of 80 and rounds off the top five. According to Zillow data, the Copper State has had the third highest drop in housing prices, -6.5 percent in the past year, equating to a loss of around $30,000. 

 

Still, even with this drop in house value, Arizona ranked top 10 for HELOC searches, (a HELOC is a credit line secured by the equity in a homeowner's property, allowing them to borrow against that equity as needed.)

Florida ranks sixth with a stress score of 60.55 out of a possible 80, ranking third overall for the most people under 65 without health insurance at 15.1 percent, 5.7 percent higher than the national average, and North Carolina comes seventh with a score of 59.31. The Old North State ranks ninth overall for stress-related searches, which equates to around 9 in every 100 people searching for terms like ‘depression’ and ‘depression symptoms’ each month.

Washington places eighth with a stress score of 59.06 out of 80, ranking fifth in the housing metric overall by losing an average -5.4 percent, around $33,000, on house value in the past 12 months, and New York places ninth with a stress score of 57.48. The Empire State has the highest mean travel time to work in America at 33.3 minutes, and the third highest stress-related Google searches, with around one in 100 people searching for ‘relaxing music' and ‘stress relievers’ each month.

Colorado received a stress score of 56.92 out of 80 and rounds off the top ten. The Centennial State ranked first for ‘HELOC’ searches in America. A HELOC is like a credit card, but the limit is based on how much your house is worth minus what you owe on it and can be used by people to access cash to overcome financial challenges.

Mitch Doucette, Ph.D., Director of Research at Leafwell commented:

“The results from this study offer revealing insights into how causes of stress can range widely from state to state.”

“For instance, Texans feeling the stress from having the nation's fourth highest unemployment rate of 4.1 percent could react to stress differently than a state like Nevada which has seen a drop of 7 percent on house prices in the previous 12 months.”

“By analyzing metrics ranging from Google search trends to housing and employment statistics, we can see a comprehensive picture of the unique pressures each state grapples with.”

Methodology:

Each state was assessed on a total scale of 80 points (the total stress score), divided as follows:

Google Search Trends (30 points): HELOC Searches (10 points): The higher the volume, the more points awarded. Stress-related searches (20 points): A 2x weighted average for searches related to stress indicators, such as “stress relief,” “depression symptoms,” and “insomnia symptoms” - The higher the volume, the more points awarded.

Employment (30 points): Unemployment rate (10 points): The higher the unemployment rate, the higher the points awarded. Median household income (10 points): The states with higher household incomes were awarded fewer points. Mean travel time to work (10 points): Longer commutes scored more points.

Housing (10 points): Zillow data determined house prices in each state. The states that saw higher house price increases in the past 12 months were awarded less points.

Health (10 points): Points were allocated based on each state's percentage of uninsured citizens. States with a lower rate of citizens with health insurance ranked higher. Sourced via census data.

Averages:
The average unemployment rate is 3.1 percent, the median household income is $68,378, and Americans have a 24.7 minute commute to work.

The average house price is $353,189 and has increased by 1.76 percent in the previous 12 months. 9.4 percent of citizens under the age of 65 are currently uninsured.

A combined 2.8 million citizens search for stress-related Google searches monthly, and more than 107,000 are googling ‘HELOC.’

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Google Keyword Planner, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Federal Reserve.