AMERICA'S MOST STRESSFUL CITIES
Maurna Desmond, 09.15.08, 6:00 PM ET

Record weekend rainfall isn't the only thing worrying Windy City residents.

Chicago's rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country's anxiety hot spots.

New Yorkers can relate. Locals in the country's most densely packed metro have to fiercely compete for subway seats, cabs, apartments, elite preschools, dinner reservations and bartenders' attention. This constant grind compounds the area's other anxiety factors including costly housing (the country's third least affordable) and allergy-inducing pollution. Throw in Wall Street's woes, and you've got a Molotov cocktail of concern.

Detroit, Mich., Los Angeles, Calif., and San Francisco, Calif., ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Behind The Numbers

To find them and others, we examined the country's 40 largest U.S. Census-defined metropolitan statistical areas and looked at quality of life indicators. We tracked housing affordability based on the August 2008 National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing opportunity index and unemployment rates for the same month based on data provided by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. We also worked cost of living into our ranking by factoring in the price for one gallon of gas on Sept. 4 per a daily survey conducted by insurance company AAA.

But consumers aren’t fretting about these pressures in a vacuum. A city’s environment can play a big role in how its citizens are able to cope with stress.

In order to capture the way a city’s environmental factors can impact nerves we looked at 2007 air quality using air monitoring data that states submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2003-05. Then we pulled the number of sunny days per year using 2007 data furnished by the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information service. Finally, we looked at population density based on 2007 data furnished by the U.S. Census Bureau to find the cities most squeezed for livable space.

What's Causing Constant Worry

Though "stress" was first used by endocrinologist Hans Selye in 1936 to mean "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change," it has since become a catch-all for anything that causes one angst. Antidotes for its toxic effects have spawn several cottage industries from high-end spas and snake-oil supplements to the brands of self-help gurus such as Australia’s own ‘Rhythm of Life’ pontificate, Matthew Kelly.

But Selye’s observation about the role of change in stimulating stress was spot on. Residents of the cities on our list acutely experience the shifts wrought by global and local economies in turmoil. In fact, it's “bedrock security issues” like housing affordability, job security and cost of living drive anxiety, says Edward Hallowell, M.D., a former professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Mass.

Nowhere is that felt more than in the Windy City. Chicago has a 7.3% unemployment rate, the eighth most polluted air in our ranking and, in a city where everybody drives to get around, a gallon of gas costs a nickel under $4 dollars.

Individuals living in Los Angeles experience a 7.5% unemployment rate and the second least affordable homes relative to income in the country. The metro features the worst air quality in the country; indeed, Angelinos often need to stay in doors when the smog gets really bad. Throw in the country's seventh highest gas prices and this car-dependent city has a lot stress about.

It's not much better further North. Drivers in the San Francisco metro pay the more per gallon of gas than anywhere else in the country. Tack in 359.8 housing units per square mile, the ninth highest population density of the 40 major metro areas we looked at, and you’ve got a recipe for anxiety.

Rust-belt cities Detroit and Cleveland have high rates of unemployment due to the decline of the American auto industry, and they have nasty pollution problems as a result of it. On the upside, the flight from these cities has meant a fall in home prices, which is good for prospective, if only a few, home buyers.

At No. 6, San Diego was the most unexpected city on our list. How could a laid-back beach town be stressful? Well, it's got the fifth least affordable housing of the 40 major metro areas surveyed, a 6.4% unemployment rate and car-happy residents paying $3.81 for a gallon of gas. But, they don’t let those numbers get them down. Pleasant weather and beautiful beaches contribute to a serotonin-soaked attitude that appears to take the edge off of tough times.

Sane Stress

Hallowell says that some stress, abundant in these human bee hives, can be a good thing. It can boost productivity (think Michael Phelps on a starting block), which leads to self-satisfaction and peace of mind.

When you are feeling anxious, Hallowell recommends reaching out to friends and family because “maintaining these strong relationships is key in our very crazy-busy disconnected society.”

http://www.forbes.com/hea...ities.html

No. 1 Chicago, Ill.
With 7.3% unemployment and a gallon of gas going for just under four bucks, the Windy City has some economic headwinds that result in a perfect storm for stress. Chi-town’s pollution problems (it ranked No. 7 in terms poor air quality) and lack of breathing room (it's No. 2 in terms of population density) couple to create a Midwestern Molotov cocktail of stress.

No. 2 New York, N.Y.
New York City has the third least affordable housing when you look at local mortgages versus income, making it tough to get ahead. Whether you rent or own, you won’t have much space unless you are rolling in dough. The Big Apple is packed to the core, coming at No 1. in terms of population density with in 786 housing units per square mile. You can smell the ambition in this city, but you might smell something else. New York had the ninth worst air quality of the 40 major metro areas we looked at.

No. 3 Detroit, Mich.
Detroit used to thrive as the epicenter of the American auto industry. But massive layoffs at Ford and General Motors contribute to a 9.4% employment rate, the highest in the e country. What's more, the industry that is now cutting jobs probably won’t offer to fix the pollution it created. Detroit was No. 9 on our ranking in terms of air quality. On the upside, the slack demand for homes has made housing cheap. Detroit has the second most affordable homes relative to income in the country.

No. 4 Los Angeles, Calif.
Individuals living in the City of Angels deal with a 7.5% unemployment rate, the second least affordable homes relative to income in the country and the worst air quality in the country. Los Angelinos also have to fret about health concerns and often need to stay indoors when the smog gets really bad. Throw in expensive gas and this car-dependent city has a lot to stress about.

No. 5 San Francisco, Calif.
There are 7.2 million residents in the City by the Bay, and they’ve got cause for stress. San Francisco ranks as the fourth least affordable city in terms of housing relative to income, and its citizens pay more per gallon of gas than anywhere else in the country. Tack in 359.8 housing units per square mile, the ninth highest population density of the 40 major metro areas we looked at, and you’ve a recipe for anxiety.

No. 6 San Diego, Calif.
The Southern California city known for its sunny Mediterranean climate, rich naval history and Latin flavor thanks to the border it shares with Mexico has got a problem: Its homes cost too much for those looking to buy, which makes it tough for residents to take out a mortgage and get ahead. This affordability issue has lead to a lot of buckled mortgages--a major source of stress for residents and local businesses. San Diego’s 6.4% unemployment rate, the tenth highest in our ranking, doesn’t help either.

No. 7 Cleveland, Ohio
Clevelanders have to cope with the fourth worst air quality among cities we ranked and the tenth highest population density. Some might also have to worry about Seasonal Affective Disorder: Cleveland boasts the fourth fewest sunny days a year of the cities measured. If these environmental factors aren’t bad enough, this Rustbelt city also has a 7.2% rate of unemployment. The good news: The flight from this city has resulted in the third most affordable housing in the country.

No. 8 Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah’s capital has the 13th least affordable housing on our list and the 8th highest price at the pump in an area where cars rule. The home of the Utah Jazz also has the 14th highest population density of areas surveyed with 281.7 housing units per square mile. Salt Lake does have a 5.9% unemployment rate, but as a Best Place to Be Unemployed, that may not be such a bad thing.

No. 9 Providence, R.I.
This Rhode Island city has cause for stress with the second highest rate of unemployment overall with 7.9% of the population out of a job. And residents don’t have a lot of space to blow off steam. It also came in at No. 5 in terms of population density, with 432 housing units per square mile. The fact that Providence is an increasingly unaffordable city ought not to put its residents minds at ease either.

No. 10 Philadelphia, Pa.
The City of Brotherly love has its citizens packed in tight--its 427.9 housing units per square mile make it our fifth most densely populated city. But buying a house will be tough on folks with smaller paychecks, because Philadelphia has the tenth least affordable homes relative to income of the 40 metropolitan statistical areas we looked at.

http://www.forbes.com/200...peed=20000

And you noticed, Minneapolis ain't nowhere on that list.

As someone who has lived in both Chicago and New York, I completely disagree. Living in Chicago is a relaxing vacation compared to the stress of living in New York!

No. 5 San Francisco, Calif.

There are 7.2 million residents in the City by the Bay, and they’ve got cause for stress. San Francisco ranks as the fourth least affordable city in terms of housing relative to income, and its citizens pay more per gallon of gas than anywhere else in the country. Tack in 359.8 housing units per square mile, the ninth highest population density of the 40 major metro areas we looked at, and you’ve a recipe for anxiety.



There are NOT 7.2 million residents in the City by the Bay....that is the total for the entire Bay Area which includes San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Hayward, etc.....overall, the Bay Area consists of nine counties, 101 cities, and 7,000 square miles.

In fact San Francisco itself only has a population between 700,000 to 800,000. San Jose actually has a bigger population between 900,000 and 1,000,000







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[Edited 9/19/08 13:59pm]

i dunno. i've lived in both cities too, and i feel like walking around in chicago is just about as much of a clusterf*ck as trying to get around in NYC.

if anything, i think NYC is slightly LESS stressful because more people there seem to understand how to co-exist in crowded, cramped public spaces, and people are better skilled (on average, anyway) in how to navigate those spaces than folks in chicago. JUST my observations.

Anxiety said:

Not sure if I agree with this. I think NYC is easier to navigate via public transportation because the subway goes almost *everywhere*. In Chicago going from Lakeview to Bucktown by CTA, for example, is a pain in the ass. You either have to wait for a bus or take the train downtown to go back "uptown".



In this aspect, I agree. But overall, I think NY is more stressful because cost of living v. income and it's very hard to get "away". One thing I love about Chicago is the beach/lakefront...it's so easy to get to. In New York you have the Hamptons, Jersey Shore, or wherever, which, if you don't have a car is a pain to get to. At least imo. And even though the millions of people do a fairly good job of co-existing sometimes I just want to be alone, without having to hassle with always waiting in lines, or crowds, or people dammit! (I think that comes from growing up on a farm. lol) But I rarely felt like that in Chicago.