Raising a Family in America Is Stressful – Especially When Living in These 20 Cities
There is absolutely no doubt that stress is a major part of modern family life, with more than 100 million Americans feeling strained (that's nearly a third of the population!). Crazy, right? But according to a recent analysis of 150 cities by personal finance website WalletHub, there are actually some locations where households tend to cope better with family-related stress than others. Feeling stressed? Maybe it's time to see where the old hometown ranks ...
To determine the stress level in families in a given city, the study considered a variety of factors including divorce rates, the percentage of single parents, and the general well-being index. (Analysts also looked at overarching trends that can affect how a family feels, such as which cities suffered from the most overall stress, health-related stress, safety-related stress, work-related stress, and money-related stress.)
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Read on to see the top 20 most stressful cities for families in America. For those who look though this list and find the name of a city that they call home and think it might be time for an address change, why not consider moving to California? Besides the sea and the sunny weather, it's home to many of the country's least stressful cities!
Image via iStock.com/@JackF
#20: New Orleans, Louisiana
Apparently The Big Easy (despite being a sought-out vacation destination) isn't all that easy to live in -- at least not if you have a family. Considering New Orleans has a high murder rate and was voted the second dirtiest city in the country by Travel + Leisure, we're not too surprised!
#18: Mobile, Alabama
(Not so) fun fact: Mobile, Alabama, has the unpleasant distinction of being the city with the highest percentage of adults in "fair/poor health" in the country. That can't be good news for local families!
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#17: Providence, Rhode Island
As of 2013, one out of every five children in the seemingly idyllic city of Providence, Rhode Island, was living in poverty. Considering that statistic, it's pretty amazing the city is only the 17th most stressful for families!
#16: Worcester, Massachusetts
Consistently rated one of the most violent cities in Massachusetts by the FBI, Worcester has a reputation for being, well, not exactly the safest place ever to raise a family.
#15: St. Louis, Missouri
Um, maybe don't meet me in St. Louis? The Missouri city actually has the highest crime rate per capita of all the 150 cities featured in the study!
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#14: Shreveport, Louisiana
Southern city Shreveport was found to have the third highest percentage of adults in fair/poor health and also came in second place for having the fewest psychologists per capita. Sounds like mental and physical well-being are major issues!
#13: Akron, Ohio
As of 2015, homicide rates were on the rise on Akron, Ohio -- a fact that wouldn't make anyone raising a family feel particularly at ease.
#12: Cincinnati, Ohio
A sobering stat for Cincinnati families: According to US Census data and the Ohio Development Agency's Ohio Poverty Report in 2015, 30.9 percent of Cincinnatians live in poverty (over 86,000 individuals!).
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#11: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The site of recent protests following the police shooting of Alton Sterling, Baton Rouge has the number one fewest psychologists per capita of all the cities featured (which is a shame, considering that the families there could probably use some help coping!).
#10: Buffalo, New York
Something to consider before you shuffle off to Buffalo: The city had the second highest crime rate of any city in New York in 2013 (coming in first: Niagara Falls).
#9: Rochester, New York
A bad combination: Rochester, New York, had the fifth highest divorce rate and the fourth highest poverty rate of all the cities on the survey.
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#8: Baltimore, Maryland
Anyone who remembers the violent riots in Baltimore last year (following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody) won't be surprised, sadly, to find Baltimore on this list.
#7: Toledo, Ohio
Holy Toledo: The Ohio city has persistent problems with poverty, particularly among single mothers and families in general.
#6: Birmingham, Alabama
Among Birmingham's more dubious distinctions: The city was found to have the second highest divorce rate and the third highest crime rate per capita.
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#3: Newark, New Jersey
Here's a tiresome fact about Newark: Residents of the New Jersey city get the fourth fewest average hours of sleep per night!
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#1: Detroit, Michigan
Not only has the city been plagued with a failing school system in recent times, but Detroit also has the highest poverty rate and third highest divorce rate of all the cities included in the study. (And it's uncomfortably close to the exceedingly troubled city of Flint.)
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