America's Most Stressful Cities 2010

Anxiety levels are running high in these metros.

Every day overwhelmed Las Vegas residents flood the Stress Management Center of Nevada, looking for relief from their problems. They often complain of irregular work hours that keep them away from their families, and tensions that result from family health crises.
In Pictures: America's Most Stressful Cities"Las Vegas has got its share of stressors," says Kathleen Grace Santor M.Ed., Ed.S., a therapist and yoga instructor who founded the center and has studied stress for 15 years. "The 24-hour day requires employees to work 24 hours a day. They're too busy, they have too much on their plate, and they're always hurried."
There's a good reason that Santor's business is brisk. Forbes found Las Vegas to be the most stressful city in the country, followed by Los Angeles, Calif., and Houston, Texas.
To pinpoint the most stressed-out cities, we measured the country's largest metropolitan areas on six metrics that can either cause or be caused by stress: high unemployment, long commute times, long work hours, limited access to health care, poor physical health and a lack of exercise.

Frayed nerves in Sin City

To 36 million tourists per year, Las Vegas is a place to blow off steam and get away from the pressures of daily life. But residents of the city are far from carefree. The housing crisis and recession hit the city hard, and it currently has a 14.5% unemployment rate, the highest of all the cities we studied.
Making matters worse is how few people are taking steps to relieve the pressure. Physical exercise is known to reduce stress, but Las Vegans exercise less than residents of any other big city--a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey showed that nearly 30% of all residents hadn't exercised in the past month.
"Someone who exercises for 30 minutes a day is going to have a lower level of stress hormones in their bloodstream than someone who never does," says Santos, who adds that the searing Las Vegas sun and biting desert winds inhibit outdoor exercise. "Right now nobody is going to go out walking. It's not one of those nice places where it's conducive to go for a walk and then come back and cook dinner."

Health pressures in the City of Angels

Another busy city in a warm climate, Los Angeles, Calif., takes second place for stressfulness, in part because it has among the lowest scores for the well-being of its residents--22.8% of Angelinos reported that their health was less than good. Physical and mental health are closely intertwined, and it's hard to keep from stressing out when one's body is failing.

Workaholics keep Houston tense

The economy in Houston, Texas, is relatively healthy--unemployment is below the national average--but prosperity may come at a price. Houstonians work the longest hours of any city we ranked; an average of 41.2 hours per week.
Furthermore, that toil isn't always rewarded with a solid insurance package--the city also has the highest percentage of people without any type of health care, at 25%. Grueling work hours can add to anxiety and a lack of health care means that stress-related illnesses will go untreated.
In many cities, stress is the price locals pay for other advantages. In Houston, for example, workers may burn the midnight oil, but they are rewarded for it with median household incomes of $54,811 annually, 4.8% higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Census. Lots of stressful cities also have plenty to offer that outweigh the stress for some. Las Vegas and New York, for instance, were tied for "coolest" cities in a recent Forbes poll.

Keeping stress under control

Santor suggests that people who live in stressful places should take time to breathe, mentally rehearse their reactions to stressful situations, and learn simple meditation techniques to keep their anxiety from snowballing.
"There's a lot of ripple effect from fundamental stress factors," says Santor. "But there are so many simple things you can do to relieve stress that don't cost anything."

America's 5 Most Stressful Cities

1. Las Vegas, Nev.
Metropolitan Statistical Area: Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan
High Unemployment Rank: 1
Long Commute Times Rank: 32
Long Working Hours Rank: 6
Limited Health Care Rank: 3
Poor Physical Health Rank: 2
Limited Exercise Rank: 1
2. Los Angeles, Calif.
Metropolitan Statistical Area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
High Unemployment Rank: 7
Long Commute Times Rank: 6
Long Working Hours Rank: 26
Limited Health Care Rank: 2
Poor Physical Health Rank: 1
Limited Exercise Rank: 11
3. Houston, Texas
Metropolitan Statistical Area: Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
High Unemployment Rank: 26
Long Commute Times Rank: 10
Long Working Hours Rank: 1
Limited Health Care Rank: 1
Poor Physical Health Rank: 5
Limited Exercise Rank: 11
4. Tampa, Fla.
Metropolitan Statistical Area: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
High Unemployment Rank: 5
Long Commute Times Rank: 17
Long Working Hours Rank: 10
Limited Health Care Rank: 13
Poor Physical Health Rank: 4
Limited Exercise Rank: 9
5. Riverside, Calif.
Metropolitan Statistical Area: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.
High Unemployment Rank: 2
Long Commute Times Rank: 3
Long Working Hours Rank: 26
Limited Health Care Rank: 6
Poor Physical Health Rank: 7
Limited Exercise Rank: 16
Click here to see the full list of America's Most Stressful Cities