Americans have plenty to be stressed about right now, whether it’s the economy or the political conditions or personal issues. But according to a recent survey conducted by WalletHub, the residents of Alabama are feeling the worst of it all.
The study, which examined the states that are the most- and least-stressed, found that Alabama wins when it comes to the highest levels of stress, Newsweek reports.
The study looked at data from the U.S. Census, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess four primary categories, including family-related stress, work-related stress, health and safety-related stress, and money-related stress. They also factored in things such as the cost of child care and housing, job security, and hours worked in a day.
The results showed that Southern states had the highest stress levels. Alabama ranked first, followed by Louisiana and Mississippi.
Per capita, the Yellowhammer state had the highest number of people reporting to have poor health and fewest psychologists. Alabamans also had the least sleep a night, and had some of the lowest credit scores.
In a separate study, Southern states likewise ranked highest on the list of the fattest cities in the country, with Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas making the top three.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Northern states appeared to be doing well. Those in Minnesota appear to lead relatively carefree lives, as the study ranks the state to have the least stressed residents, seconded by North Dakota.
Adults in Minnesota had the lowest rates in poor health, and the state had the most number of psychologists per capita. They also had the most number of hours of sleep per night, and the lowest divorce rate. In addition, the North Star State had the highest credit scores in the country.
After Minnesota and North Dakota, the least-stressed states are South Dakota, Hawaii and Nebraska, the survey says.
