America’s Stress Crisis: Study Reveals Alarming Levels and Most Affected States

UNITED STATES, (WWAY) — Research has revealed the most stressed states, with West Virginia coming out on top.

The study conducted by mental health facility Onyx Behavioral Health explored data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to see which states had the highest rates of people reporting stress.

The study found that West Virginia had the highest mental and physical distress rate, making it the most stressed state. The data reports that 21.10% of citizens suffer from frequent mental distress, and 18.20% of citizens suffer from frequent physical distress. Combining these statistics for an average of 19.65%, is the highest of any US state.

Arkansas came in second place, followed by Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama rounding out the top 5.

Using the same methodology, Hawaii is the ‘least stressed’ of any state, with just 11.50% of citizens reporting frequent mental distress and 9.50% reporting suffering from frequent physical distress, averaging out at 10.50%.

The US average was found to be a percentage of 15.90% of Americans reporting frequent mental distress and 12.40% reporting frequent physical distress, which is an average of 14.15%.