AUSTIN, Texas — For most people, stress is a part of everyday life. From finding a secure income to managing your health, there are multiple factors that contribute to feelings of daily pressure and anxiety.
But Austin residents might not experience high amounts of stress compared to other major U.S. cities.
A recent WalletHub study analyzed averaging stress levels in 182 cities across the country based on four categories: work, finances, family, and health and safety.
Austin fell at No. 129 overall, for a total stress score of 38.02. The study found that Austin is most concerned with work, for an overall rank of 40, followed by financial stress at 158, family concerns at 128 and finally issues regarding health and safety at 134.
The most tense city on the list was Cleveland, then Detroit; Baltimore; Memphis, Tennessee; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Comparatively, Fremont, California, was the most relaxed city, followed by South Burlington, Vermont; Fargo, North Dakota; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Bismarck, North Dakota.
Austin wasn't the only Texas city to make the list. Others included Houston, San Antonio, Laredo, Dallas, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Brownsville, Arlington, Grand Prarie, Garland, Lubbock, Amarillo, Irving and Plano.
Of those, Houston was the most stressed, ranked at 18, while Plano was the least stressed at 165.
For each of the four categories, various stressors were considered. Work tension, for example, included average hours, job security, commute time and more.
Financial stress focused on average income, credit score and housing costs, to name a few.
Meanwhile, family stress analyzed issues like divorce rates and child care costs, while health and safety stressors included mental health conditions, physical activity and mass shootings in a given population.
