People seeking the least stressful lifestyle should consider moving to this American city

Following the pandemic that led to lockdowns and anxiety, young Americans have also been hit by rising costs, layoffs, and high rent among other things, all of which collectively add to stress levels. For the first time in Gallop polling since 2001, a majority of U.S. adults said that they would feel better if they got more sleep. Several people are moving either for better opportunities or lower rent, and many have even flown halfway across the globe to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle in countries with lower costs of living. Now, a new report by Wallethub has revealed a connection between the city people live in and the amount of stress they have to deal with.

The survey found that Fremont in the East Bay region of California's Bay Area, is currently the least stressful city to live in, and this comes as no surprise as it was recently ranked the happiest city in America by another Wallethub survey.

Austin was another city that reported low levels of stress among residents. Although Wallethub analyst Cassandra Happe believes that stress may be out of control, she also talked about how mental health can improve based on the surroundings people reside in.

The report also talked about Cleveland which was the "most stressed city in the U.S" due to the lowest median household income in the country. However, it's not just the financial stress that created pressure on people in Cleveland, since the city also has the second-highest separation and divorce rate in the country at nearly 41%. Cleveland is also struggling when it comes to health and well-being as well as safety in addition to financial and personal problems.

"Over 20% of adults have 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month, and 43% of adults sleep less than seven hours per night. On top of that, Cleveland has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country," the report read.

It was also seen that the cities with a higher crime rate and weaker economies were more susceptible to stress as compared to the others. "Cities with high crime rates, weak economies, less effective public health, and congested transportation systems naturally lead to elevated stress levels for residents," noted the survey's analyst Cassandra Happe.

New York on the other hand came in at the 36th position and according to Wallethub, with traffic being one of the major factors adding stress in the lives of New Yorkers off-late. 

Other stressors that affected the mental state and overall lifestyle of residents in a city included the average weekly working hours, the poverty rate, the divorce rate, the low job security, as well as the unemployment rate.

Going by these parameters, it was found that the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia was one the most stressed cities in the United States. The survey took factors such as job satisfaction, debt, and access to affordable housing into account while calculating the stress levels that are ironic for a city with such a name.