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[The Take Out Bandit]

I'm glad to see it's not all entirely in my head. We're #3! Woohoo

(Reuters Life!) - Detroit, Los Angeles and Cleveland are the most stressful cities in America, according to a new study.

"Detroit has a lot of things going against it. It topped nearly all our standards for our stress test, although it was rarely number one," said Portfolio.com editor J. James Moss. "Across the board, it was bad."

Riverside in California and St. Louis in Missouri rounded out the top five stressful cities.

Portfolio.com, a national business and news website for small business executives, looked at unemployment rates, personal finance data, environmental, health and living standards and crime rates to compile the ranking of 50 cities.

"Detroit has been plagued with high unemployment, a really distressed housing market and is burdened with high crime. It doesn't really seem like it has much hope," Moss explained.

He added that the list was done using statistical data analysis, rather than interviews with local residents about their levels of stress.

"We didn't interview residents ... People will have always have some civic pride that could counter statistical figures," he said.

New York City captured the No. 6 spot, followed by New Orleans, Chicago, Birmingham and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

At the other end of the scale Salt Lake City was ranked as the least stressful city, thanks to its low crime rates, high health standing and employment, and its easy commutes.

Virginia Beach in Virginia, and Minneapolis-St.Paul also scored high for their low-stress living.

Moss said he hoped the list would be useful to both employers, employees, and those without jobs.

"I believe that there are a couple of different people who could look at this. For a small business person or entrepreneur, for example, or for most people that want to start a business, the common belief is that less stress leads to happier employers and happier customers, and hopefully a bigger payout. Employees looking for a job would also go to a place where they will be less stressed," he said.

Other less stressful cities included Raleigh in North Carolina, Austin in Texas, Denver, San Antonio and Kansas City.

Moss noted that stress levels seem to be increasing across America's major cities for a variety of factors, most notably the economy.

"Unemployment and the general state of the economy are certainly adding to stress, especially in larger metropolitan areas in which most workers live," he said.

Portfolio.com and bizjournals analyzed a broad range of factors to pinpoint the metros that subject their residents to unusually high or low amounts of stress. The following are the 10 indicators included in the study, along with a brief summary of the worst and best markets.

—Unemployment: The recession has taken a toll all across the country, leaving 20 of the 50 biggest metros with double-digit unemployment. Las Vegas is the worst at 14.5 percent, followed by Riverside at 14.4 percent, based on midyear data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Washington, with 6.4 percent unemployment, fares the best.

—Income growth: Income levels dropped in 47 of the 50 markets between 2008 and 2009, says the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The worst drops belong to Las Vegas, Charlotte, and San Jose. Who are the three fortunate gainers? Virginia Beach, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.

—Poverty: Memphis has the worst poverty problem in the study group, with 13.9 percent of its families officially classified as poor by the U.S. Census Bureau. San Antonio and Houston are next on the poverty scale. Washington, on the other hand, has the lowest metropolitan poverty rate, 4.7 percent.

—Deaths from circulatory-system diseases: New Orleans has the highest number of deaths caused by heart failure, hypertension, and stroke, a rate of 414.4 per 100,000 residents, based on Centers for Disease Control records for 2006. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are almost as bad. The lowest rates belong to Austin, Raleigh, and Salt Lake City.

—Sunshine: Pittsburgh is the gloomiest market, attracting only 45 percent of possible sunshine in a typical year, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Seattle, Buffalo, and Portland, Oregon, are nearly as dark. The sunniest metros are Las Vegas and Phoenix at 85 percent.

—Unhealthy air: A sweep for California. Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Riverside suffer the worst ozone problems in the study group, as measured in 2008 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Another California metro, San Francisco, has the smallest ozone level, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul and Portland.

—Robberies: Cleveland has the worst rate, 827.5 robberies per 100,000 residents, based on central-city records compiled in 2009 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. St. Louis and Cincinnati are the next worst, while Virginia Beach has the lowest robbery rate, 103.6 per 100,000.

—Murders: New Orleans is the deadliest city on the list, with 51.7 murders per 100,000 residents in 2009. St. Louis and Detroit are the runners-up. The safest city is Salt Lake City, with 2.2 murders per 100,000. The rates in Austin and San Jose are nearly as low.

—Commuting: Traffic is a grind in the New York City area, where the typical commute to work takes 34.55 minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Washington and Chicago also have serious congestion. Roads run free and easy in Buffalo (20.78 minutes) and Oklahoma City (21.35).

—Housing costs: Affordability is based on a comparison of median home values and median household incomes, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Three California markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose) have the worst ratios, while Buffalo, San Antonio, and Pittsburgh enjoy the most affordable housing.

Sauce

Full Details of Study

 

[LaserBuddha]

Virginia Beach in Virginia, and Minneapolis-St.Paul also scored high for their low-stress living.

FUCK YEAH

 

[trinest]

Is this list about as BS as the dirtiest cities one?

 

[CFMOORE!]

makes some sense, surprised NY isn't with us in LA

fake edit, well, its #6 but i expected higher

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Is this list about as BS as the dirtiest cities one?

No, I have the hospital bills to prove it. :|

 

[Community Forum]

1 Detroit
2 Los Angeles
3 Cleveland
4 Riverside, Calif.
5 St. Louis
6 New York City
7 New Orleans
8 Chicago
9 Birmingham
10 Miami-Fort Lauderdale
11 Memphis
12 Philadelphia
13 Atlanta
14 Cincinnati
15 Washington
16 Houston
17 Sacramento
18 Charlotte
19 Baltimore
20 Pittsburgh
21 Las Vegas
22 San Francisco-Oakland
23 Buffalo
24 Dallas-Fort Worth
25 Hartford
26 San Diego
27 Indianapolis
28 Nashville
29 Providence
30 Orlando
31 Tampa-St. Petersburg
32 Seattle
33 Milwaukee
34 Columbus
35 Richmond
36 Jacksonville
37 Louisville
38 San Jose
39 Boston
40 Portland, Ore.
41 Phoenix
42 Kansas City
43 San Antonio
44 Denver
45 Oklahoma City
46 Austin
47 Raleigh
48 Minneapolis-St. Paul
49 Virginia Beach-Norfolk
50 Salt Lake City

#17... hmmmm. I will use this knowledge to my advantage... somehow.

 

[Zeliard]

The U.S. as a whole is a pretty damn stressful place to live and work relative to the rest of the planet. That's what happens when you have consistent 40 hour weeks and no mandated paid vacation. I believe that's unlike any other industrialized nation. Even China gives their workers 15 days.

 

[Rorschach]

#17... hmmmm. I will use this knowledge to my advantage... somehow.

Quick, empty your life savings, buy as many stress balls as you can and let's ride into the sunset!

 

[Blackace]

#32.. must be because the rent and gas is so stupid high

 

[HomShaBom]

Yay Cleveland.

 

[Mr Sandman]

50 Salt Lake City

Nice.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

this shit is stupid. of course cities with the most unemployment problems are going to be the most stressed. and of course they'll have high crime, secondary to said unemployment and poverty.

did we need ANOTHER attention-whoring, "me too" publication telling us that? they just wanted hits. we've given them to them.

let's move along.

 

[Yaweee]

Is this list about as BS as the dirtiest cities one?

This one actually has some actual data backing it up. The Huffington Post "dirtiest cities" one was basically a complete sham with no attempt at any objective standard.

 

[Vox-Pop]

More proof LA sucks.

 

[speculawyer]

Poor Detroit. You'd think that being able to buy houses for a dollar would at least lower their stress . . . but I guess it isn't so great if your neighbor is probably a crackhead squatter.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

this shit is stupid. of course cities with the most unemployment problems are going to be the most stressed. and of course they'll have high crime, secondary to said unemployment and poverty.

did we need ANOTHER attention-whoring, "me too" publication telling us that? they just wanted hits. we've given them to them.

let's move along.

chill out, bro. You sound like you're from Cleveland or somethin.

 

[Smokey]

What tha fuck is so stressful about Sacramento besides worrying if Tyreke Evans is gonna help someone murder somebody or drive 100+ mph down the freeway?

 

[Dice]

The U.S. as a whole is a pretty damn stressful place to live and work relative to the rest of the planet. That's what happens when you have consistent 40 hour weeks and no mandated paid vacation. I believe that's unlike any other industrialized nation. Even China gives their workers 15 days.

And the constant buzz... that's what really gets you. I don't know how it is, but the marketing/talking heads/controversies/pointless bullshit always reaches you no matter how much you might try to avoid it. Other places are so quiet and allow you to just be a human being.

 

[cory64]

Hmm, I wouldn't think that Philly would be the lowest of the big 4.

 

[DY_nasty]

There's nothing stressful about Charlotte. Bob Johnson is gone now, wtf

DC... now there's a tiresome ass town

 

[gdt]

Detroid needs to be rebooted.

 

[Jin34]

3 Cleveland

 

[SomeDude]

question: is baltimore anything like boston?

 

[cory64]

question: is baltimore anything like boston?

Have you not seen The Wire?

 

[WedgeX]

Yet another list that Detroit would rather not top. Sigh.

 

[Nard Bagman]

St. Louis doesn't seem that stressful.

 

[gdt]

How is Baltimore so low? I thought the crime rate was crazy high?

 

[SomeDude]

Have you not seen The Wire?

no, I havn't.

 

[jon bones]

NY still worth it

 

[ezrarh]

I can attest to Buffalo's nonexistent traffic. Something to do with losing ~300k people in the last 5 decades, certainly did a good job of clearing up traffic.

 

[Jay Shadow]

How is Baltimore so low? I thought the crime rate was crazy high?

Cause everything is going well for the criminals, so they're stress free.

 

[Korey]

So... Los Angeles is the second most stressful city in the US because of pollution and houses are expensive? What a dumb list.

 

[Patriotsbball5460]

34, alright, respectable to me

 

[Boogie9IGN]

#38 San Jose. I'm hella stressed out ):

 

[cory64]

Cause everything is going well for the criminals, so they're stress free.

 

[BobTheFork]

Not a single Colorado city on that list.

Spoiler

The secret ingredient is WEED

 

[Blackace]

Not a single Colorado city on that list.

Spoiler

The secret ingredient is WEED

They exculded hamlets

 

[sixteen-bit]

top 10

 

[Snuggles]

Detroit representing Michigan as usual, nice.

 

[HylianTom]

"The Big Easy" is #7?!

I'm perplexed. Life here is pretty damn relaxed (when a hurricane isn't out there in the Gulf).

 

[ultron87]

#14. Whoo.

On the actual full list Detroit's "Stress Index" is 9.026. #2 Los Angeles is at 5.899.:lol Poor poor Detroit.

 

[sciplore]

Honestly with the unemployment issues and house prices I would figured the cities in Florida would be higher up the list. I guess the decent environment, okay weather (I guess being hot as hell is better than cold) and so-so crime rate must save it.

 

[Arol]

Man, can;t believe my city is in the Top 5 of the nation.

=\

 

[Why would you do that?]

Traffic is a grind in the New York City area, where the typical commute to work takes 34.55 minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wha...? Is 35 minutes really bad? Or am I just used to spending an hour to go places?

(One of the reasons why I like my current college is because of its really quick commute of 30-40 minutes on public transportation.)

 

[thespot84]

Not a single Colorado city on that list.

Spoiler

The secret ingredient is WEED

um, I live in CO and tend to agree, but Denver is on it, however low it may be...am confused.

EDIT: Maybe it's the secret ingredient for poor reading comprehension

EEEDIT: so how does it compare with the forbes list from last year?

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/20/st...state-home-values-stressful-cities_chart.html

interesting (ps the numbers listed are ranks, took me a second...)

 

[Dreams-Visions]

10 Miami-Fort Lauderdale

though really, like any large area there will be a mix. most of SoFla is poor as hell. heavily cuban, columbian and hatian, extremely small cribs. especially in cities like Hieleah. there are pockets of really nice places in Hollywood, Miami and surrounding cities, but really...most of the Miami population is not balling. In fact, SoFla had the highest forclosure rate in the nation in 2008 or 2009.

but like in most big cities, if you have a lot of money to spend, you'll have more fun. at least, I'm having more fun down here.

chill out, bro. You sound like you're from Cleveland or somethin.

*grumbles*

Detroid needs to be rebooted.

they're trying, but the landmass the city has to serve coupled with an eroding tax base, white flight to cities just outside of Detroit, high unemployment, public official corruption, high taxes on business, and the devolution of the Big 3 automakers have destroyed that city.

 

[Parallax]

Im so damn glad riverside made the list. That place is a damn sandtrap. When i was there, i swear i was on saturn and i just knew a sandworm was going to rise out of the sand and devour me

 

[Gallbaro]

So... Los Angeles is the second most stressful city in the US because of pollution and houses are expensive? What a dumb list.

Exactly, I don't know who the hell would consider that suburb a city?

 

[Chet Rippo]

Virginia Beach in Virginia, and Minneapolis-St.Paul also scored high for their low-stress living.

Yep, seems about right. Fuck yeah Minneapolis.

I suppose St. Paul is okay too...

 

[Plywood]

Philly in top 20, hooray. :|