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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.
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
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