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20 most, least health stressed US cities

07/06/2026|Source Author|

Fremont, Calif., ranks as the city with the lowest health and safety stress, while Memphis, Tenn., is the most stressed, WalletHub found. 

WalletHub compared 182 cities, including the 150 most populated U.S. cities plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state. Each city was compared across 39 metrics in four dimensions: work stress, financial stress, family stress, and health and safety stress. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest level of stress. 

In health stress, the report tracked the percentage of adults in fair or poor health and found a three times difference between the worst and best cities for this metric. Four cities tied for the highest percentage of adults in fair/poor health: San Antonio, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; Shreveport, La.; Brownsville, Texas. The city with the lowest percentage was Cheyenne, Wyo.

Here are the cities with the highest and lowest health and safety stress, along with their total stress score.

Most stressed in health and safety

  1. Memphis, Tenn.: 59.24
  2. Detroit, Mich.: 62.78
  3. Shreveport, La.: 57.75
  4. Cleveland, Ohio: 59.35
  5. Huntington, W.Va.: 50.32
  6. Charleston, W.Va.: 45.97
  7. Gulfport, Miss.: 56.90
  8. Houston, Texas: 54.18
  9. Dover, Del.: 49.86
  10. Jackson, Miss.: 56.03
  11. Birmingham, Ala.: 54.42
  12. Springfield, Mo.: 44.07
  13. St. Louis, Mo.: 54.60
  14. Augusta, Ga.: 50.37
  15. Kansas City, Mo.: 44.67
  16. Knoxville, Tenn.: 43.98
  17. San Antonio, Texas: 51.37
  18. Montgomery, Ala.: 52.59
  19. Fort Smith, Ark.: 48.55
  20. Baton Rouge, La.: 52.95 

Least stressed

  1. Fremont, Calif.: 26.16
  2. Irvine, Calif.: 31.06
  3. San Francisco, Calif.: 36.75
  4. Jersey City, N.J.: 36.25
  5. San Jose, Calif.: 31.48
  6. Columbia, Md.: 35.21
  7. Overland Park, Kan.: 30.83
  8. South Burlington, Vt.: 26.22
  9. San Diego, Calif.: 35.70
  10. Chula Vista, Calif.: 38.09
  11. Santa Clarita, Calif.: 39.45
  12. Scottsdale, Ariz.: 36.17
  13. Gilbert, Ariz.: 34.09
  14. Chandler, Ariz.: 35.88
  15. Yonkers, N.Y.: 37.93
  16. Burlington, Vt.: 31.62
  17. Raleigh, N.C.: 37.26
  18. Huntington Beach, Calif.: 37.28
  19. Madison, Wis.: 32.80
  20. Garden Grove, Calif.: 38.99 

The post 20 most, least health stressed US cities appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.

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