Is New York One of the Nation’s Most Stressed Out States?

A number of issues are on a number of Americans' minds, and it's got a lot of people everywhere stressed out.

Everything from the economy, to cost of living, to job security may be keeping many up at night. And as we know, one of the keys to good health is proper sleep, so now we might really be screwed. New Yorkers may have a bit of a reputation for being on edge, but is it exactly accurate though? How do we compare when it comes to other states and stress levels? A new study may shed some light on this topic.

WalletHub has put together a state-by-state study across 41 key indicators of stress. The data examines such factors as average hours at work each week, health, personal bankruptcy rate, to even how much good sleep you're getting on any given night. This would place New York towards the top of any stress study, right?

Perhaps not in every area. There are other states far more stressed out than New York. according to this study. How did we do?

State by State Breakdown

WalletHub's four key dimensions are:

1) Work-Related Stress

2) Money-Related Stress

3) Family-Related Stress

4) Health- & Safety-Related Stress

Where Does New York Rank? 

According to this data, New York is right in the middle at #25, right below Pennsylvania. If you break down the categories, we actually ranked quite well when it came to health and safety-related stress (#43). However, we were one of the topmost stressed out states when it came to work-related stress.

Massachusetts ranked 43rd overall, and New Jersey 41st. Louisiana was the most stressed-out state in the country, according to this data.

Are New Yorkers Content? 

Studies vary according to who you ask. While the state tends to do well in some areas, we struggle in others. U.S. News and World Report ranked New York at #21 overall when it came to the best places to live in the country. While the Empire State still sits slightly above the middle of the list, many residents continue to leave in droves for warmer climates and less expensive areas to live, according to statistics. According to estimates from the United States Census Bureau, 126,355 residents left New York between July 2019 and July 2020. It often comes down to; cost of living, poor job growth (especially upstate), taxes, and harsh winters.

Now, add the fact that the state was one of the hardest-hit areas from COVID in the world, and that's enough to send people packing, according to these estimates.