CLEVELAND — It's happened again. For the fifth straight year, Wallethub has named Cleveland first in its study of the "Most Stressed Cities in America."
Meanwhile, the city of Akron has cracked the top 10 for 2024 and ranks eighth in the nation.
Before we give you the details, just an explainer from me as to why a story like this is worth reporting on. When we write pieces like this, it's not with the intention of beating up our city or our region. I believe studies and surveys from WalletHub and similar agencies are important to help us gauge where we are as a community and where we need to go to get better. (Plus, it's always entertaining to see Mike Polk Jr. respond!)
So what makes Cleveland the "Most Stressed City in America"?
In order to determine where Americans cope best and worst with their stress in 2024, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across four dimensions using 39 key metrics. The data set ranges from average weekly work hours to the unemployment rate to divorce and suicide rates.
The four dimensions are: "Work Stress," "Financial Stress," "Family Stress," and "Health and Safety Stress." Cleveland ranked No. 1 in "Financial Stress" and No. 2 in "Health and Safety Stress."
By comparison, Akron came in 16th in "Financial Stress," 6th in "Family Stress," and 8th in "Health and Safety Stress."
In individual metrics, Cleveland was second in 'Divorce Rate," "Poverty Rate" and "% of Adults with Inadequate Sleep."
Here are the Top 10 Most Stressed Cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub:
- Cleveland
- Detroit
- Baltimore
- Memphis
- Gulfport, MS
- Philadelphia
- Birmingham
- Akron
- New Orleans
- Jackson, MS
Here is how the rest of Ohio fared in the study:
- No. 23 - Cincinnati
- No. 26 - Toledo
- No. 67 - Columbus
The least-stressed city in America? Fremont, California.
Check out more from WalletHub's study:
Previous Cleveland/WalletHub stories:
- Mike Polk Jr. has some thoughts on Cleveland's latest rankings and the methodology behind them
- New study ranks Cleveland near the bottom of the 'Happiest Cities in America' list
- Cleveland ranks as the most stressed city in the US for the 4th straight year, WalletHub survey says
- Cleveland is the worst city in America to raise a family, new WalletHub study reveals
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