A study released on Monday by WalletHub ranked the Sunshine State 13th in their annual Most & Least Stressed State list.
With April being Stress Awareness Month and the coronavirus becoming America’s biggest stressor in 2020, the personal-finance website conducted the report by comparing 50 states across 41 key metrics. The website assembled a range of data to rank the states, including average hours worked per week to the percentage of adults in fair/poor health.
According to a press release, experts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions: 1) Work-Related Stress, 2) Money-Related Stress, 3) Family-Related Stress, 4) Health- & Safety-Related Stress. They then evaluated those dimensions using 41 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of stress. Experts then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the sample.
While Florida performed well in some categories such as crime rate per capita, areas dealing with family-related issues negatively affected the state’s ranking.
Here are some of the biggest categories that contributed to Florida’s ranking.
Stress Levels in Florida (1=Most Stressed, 25=Avg.):
- 25th – Avg. Hours Worked per Week
- 17th – Share of Adults Getting Adequate Sleep
- 12th – Percentage of Adults in Fair/Poor Health
- 17th – Median Credit Score
- 8th – Housing Affordability
- 16th – Percentage of Population Living Below Poverty Line
- 2nd – Divorce Rate
- 23rd – Crime Rate per Capita
- 9th – Psychologists per Capita
According to the full list, Floridians are on par with their northern neighbors in Georgia who came in ranked 12th. Meanwhile, other southern states ranked much higher, including Alabama (8th), Kentucky (7th), Arkansas (4th), Mississippi (2nd), and Louisiana (1st). Florida’s overall score was 47.05.
But it’s not all bad news for the state. Florida moved down two spots from the previous year, where they came in ranked 11th.
For the full report, click HERE.