These are the most stressed states in America. Here’s how Florida compares

This month, WalletHub has released its 2025 ranking of the most and least stressed states in the U.S.

The ranking examined factors like finance, employment, family relations and more to figure out which of these 50 states ranked highest for their stress levels.

“There are many different sources of stress, from inflation to work deadlines to relationship tensions,” the study reads. “On top of those stressors, 77% of adults are stressed out by the future of the nation. Overall stress levels are not uniform across the country, though, and certain states worry more than others about specific issues.”

More specifically, the study looks at the following variables to determine state placements:

• Work-Related Stress: Includes average hours worked per week; average commute time; average leisure time; job security; unemployment rate; underemployment rate; and income growth rate between 2022 and 2023
• Money-Related Stress: Includes median income; debt per median earnings; median credit score; personal bankruptcy rate; share of adults with financial anxiety; economic security score; share of people unable to save for children’s college; share of adults paying only minimum on credit cards; share of population living in poverty; and housing affordability
• Family-Related Stress: Includes separation/divorce rates; share of single parents; cost of childcare; parental-leave policies; parental stress; share of parents without emotional support; and share of parents who changed/quit jobs due to problems with childcare
• Health- and Safety-Related Stress: Includes share of adults in fair or poor health; share of adults diagnosed with depression; mental health; suicide rate; unaffordability of doctor visits; share of parents frustrated in efforts to get health services for their child; increase in annual health insurance premiums; share of insured population; psychologists per capita; physical activity rate; share of adults getting adequate sleep; bullying incidents; and crime rate

The top state on the list is New Mexico, followed close behind by Nevada (No. 2) and Louisiana (No. 3).

“New Mexico

New Mexico is the most stressed state, in large part because it has the highest violent crime rates per capita and property crime rates per capita. These types of threats cause residents to worry about their safety.

Residents of New Mexico also have the highest separation and divorce rate in the country, and the third-highest share of households that have a single parent. These conditions can put excess stress on children and parents alike.

Financial conditions in New Mexico also contribute to people’s stress levels. New Mexico has the third-highest poverty rate in the country, and residents have one of the lowest median credit scores, at just 697. Low incomes and low credit scores make it difficult for residents to get credit, purchase homes and vehicles, and otherwise improve their economic status.

Nevada

Nevada has the second-most stressed residents, and many of the largest contributing factors are financial in nature. The state has the highest unemployment rate in the country, one of the highest bankruptcy rates, and one of the lowest median credit scores, at 693. These difficult conditions will impact their financial capabilities for years to come.

Nevada State residents experience a lot of stress in their family lives, too, with some of the highest rates of separation, divorce and single-parent households in the country.

Finally, health is a big concern. Around 21% of Nevada residents report that their health is ‘fair’ or ‘poor,’ the eighth-highest rate in the country. Some contributing factors include the second-lowest percentage of people not visiting a doctor and less widespread health insurance coverage compared to residents of other states.

Louisiana

Louisiana ranks as the third-most stressed state, in large part because it has the second-highest poverty rate in the country. Around 12% of residents haven’t seen a doctor in the past year due to the cost. In addition, Louisiana ranks among the 10 worst states for both the share of adults reporting poor mental health and the share of adults diagnosed with depression. Residents may also find it difficult to find someone to address mental health issues, since Louisiana has fewer psychologists per capita than most other states.

Lastly, the Bayou State had the sixth-highest average unemployment rate in the country last year, and it has the lowest job security than all states.”

WalletHub, "Most & Least Stressed States (2025)"

However, Florida didn’t come out of this study unscathed. The Sunshine State got a placement within the top 10 on the list — No 9, to be exact.

While Florida saw more middle-of-the-road scores when it came to finances and health, the state ranked highly (meaning it performed poorly) in terms of work-related stress and family issues.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ranking is as follows: