Financial and Work Stress Hit Hardest in Southern States, Study Finds

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David Keech
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Financial and Work Stress Hit Hardest in Southern States, Study Finds

With stress levels rising across the country—driven by inflation, health concerns, and work-life imbalance—new research reveals which states are managing stress better than others in 2025.
New data from Topture ranks all 50 U.S. states by stress levels using 31 key metrics. The findings show wide differences in how Americans experience and manage stress based on where they live.
Key Findings:
  • Vermont ranked least stressed in the U.S., performing best in both work stress and health & safety.
  • Rhode Island and Maine followed, showing strong social support and access to healthcare.
  • Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada were the most stressed states overall.
Overall Rank* State Total Work Stress Rank Total Financial Stress Rank Total Family Stress Rank Total Health & Safety Stress Rank Total Work-Life Balance Rank
1 Vermont 1 40 7 1 6
2 Rhode Island 13 30 8 7 4
3 Maine 5 36 12 3 9
4 Massachusetts 3 48 3 2 13
5 Minnesota 9 42 1 6 14
6 Connecticut 11 38 5 18 1
7 Iowa 15 7 23 16 18
7 New Jersey 22 21 6 20 10
9 North Dakota 2 17 16 25 20
10 Nebraska 8 2 25 15 33
10 New Hampshire 7 44 11 4 17
12 Colorado 20 11 13 29 15
13 Montana 6 26 21 14 23
14 Wisconsin 28 10 14 5 35
15 Maryland 4 32 15 26 16
16 Oregon 16 35 34 8 2
17 Virginia 18 8 10 37 27
18 New York 26 45 20 9 3
19 Kansas 23 1 17 41 30
20 Illinois 48 4 9 33 22
20 Utah 14 39 2 36 25
22 Alaska 17 50 18 21 12
23 South Dakota 19 9 24 19 48
23 Wyoming 24 6 19 27 43
25 Florida 34 16 33 10 29
26 Missouri 27 5 29 34 28
27 Hawaii 12 49 41 11 11
28 Michigan 31 15 26 31 24
29 Delaware 35 47 4 22 21
30 Washington 25 41 49 13 7
31 Pennsylvania 36 29 28 12 31
32 Arizona 10 24 45 42 19
33 Ohio 40 20 32 24 36
34 New Mexico 21 43 50 39 5
35 Indiana 41 12 22 38 47
36 Idaho 29 25 35 35 37
37 California 32 46 48 30 8
38 North Carolina 39 27 31 28 44
39 Kentucky 47 37 30 23 34
40 Arkansas 30 23 42 45 32
41 Texas 43 13 27 50 41
42 West Virginia 46 34 40 17 39
43 South Carolina 33 22 37 49 40
43 Tennessee 44 3 38 47 49
45 Georgia 42 14 36 46 45
46 Alabama 45 18 39 40 46
47 Oklahoma 37 19 47 43 42
48 Nevada 49 28 43 48 26
49 Mississippi 38 33 46 44 38
50 Louisiana 50 31 44 32 50
Notes: *1 = Least Stressed

Commenting on the findings, Benny Rehwald, Founder and CEO of Topture says:

“Managing stress effectively is crucial not only for personal health, but for the strength of our communities. States that invest in healthcare, job stability, and strong support systems are seeing lower stress levels and improved well-being. At the same time, more people are taking stress management into their own hands—turning to wellness retreats or investing in calming tools like home saunas. The data shows demand for these personal stress relief solutions continues to grow.”
Methodology
To determine the most and least stressed states in America, we compared all 50 states across five key dimensions: 1) Work Stress, 2) Financial Stress, 3) Family Stress, 4) Health & Safety Stress, and 5) Work-Life Balance. Our sample considers only the state level data in each case and excludes specific cities within states.
We evaluated the five dimensions using 31 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the lowest levels of stress.
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Work Stress – Total Points: 20
  • Normalized May 2024 Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)
  • Normalized Median Household Income: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
  • Normalized Minimum statutory sick leave: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Normalized Paid maternity leave and payment rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Normalized Minimum wage: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
  • Normalized Average hours worked: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Normalized Average Commute Time (minutes): Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Financial Stress – Total Points: 20
  • Normalized Poverty Rate: Double Weight (~4 Points)
  • Normalized Cost of Living Index: Full Weight (~2 Points)
  • Normalized Grocery Costs: Full Weight (~2 Points)
  • Normalized Health Costs: Full Weight (~2 Points)
  • Normalized Housing Costs: Full Weight (~2 Points)
  • Normalized Misc Costs: Half Weight (~1 Points)
  • Normalized Transportation Costs: Full Weight (~2 Points)
  • Normalized Utility Costs: Full Weight (~1 Points)
  • Normalized Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~4 Points)
Family Stress – Total Points: 20
  • Normalized Homeownership Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Normalized Median Rent: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Normalized Public School Index Score: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Normalized Bachelors or Higher: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Health & Safety Stress – Total Points: 20
  • Normalized Ratio of people per hospital employee: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Access to Care Ranking 2022: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Medicare Part A and/or Part B Program Payments Per Traditional Medicare Enrollee 2021: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Air Quality Index (Lower is better): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Greenest States Ranking: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Offenses / Population: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Normalized Community Support Expenditures Rank: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  • Normalized Community Support Expenditures: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Work-Life Balance – Total Points: 20
  • Normalized Work-Life Balance Overall rank: Full Weight (~10 Points)
  • Normalized LGBTQ+ inclusivity: Full Weight (~5 Points)
  • Normalized Average hours worked: Half Weight (~5 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of April 15, 2025 from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, America’s Health Rankings, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Council for Community and Economic Research, County Health Ranking, Census Bureau, FBI Crime Data Explorer, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Gun Violence Archive, Indeed, INRIX, Kaiser Family Foundation, Mental Health America, MPH Online, PropertyShark, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, World Population Review.
P.S Here is a Google Drive link with images you can use:
 

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David Keech
Author: David Keech

David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at keechertheteacher@gmail.com

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