The most stressful city to work in America may surprise you. According to a new study, America's most stressful cities aren't the major metropolises—whether you commute, work from home, have a very bad boss or work for yourself (hopefully, you're a good boss).
LLC.org's analysis reveals the most stressful cities for workers based on average hours worked per week, average commute time, percentage of workers who commute early, percentage of workers who are not able to work remotely, single-income families, income growth rate, percentage of employees without health insurance and each city’s crime rate.
At the top of the list? Houston, Texas. Based on data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, American Psychological Association and FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Houston ranked as the most stressful city, with a stress score of 69 (out of a potential 100 points). Analysis showed that Houstonians typically clock in for an average of 39.5 hours per week at work, which is above the national average of 38.7 hours. One in three Houston workers is on the road to commute before 7am and 30.4% of workers in Houston lack health insurance, while the national average of uninsured workers is just 10.5%. That's stressful.
In a close second for the most stressful city for workers, with a score of 68, is Arlington, Texas, where the income growth rate, 3.4%, is nearly half of the national average of 6.2%. And to complete the super stressful Texas trifecta in third place with 65 points is Dallas. Also on the top ten list are Corpus Christi, Texas and Fort Worth, Texas with many, many more Texas cities on the list.
Need to get out of Texas? Recent studies showcase the best U.S. cities for digital nomads, as well as the best U.S. airports for remote workers, so you can at least get some low-stress tasks completed on the road.