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U.S. states and work-related stress: an overview​

According to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, employees worldwide are struggling at work. Some interesting data points include:3

• 41% of employees reported experiencing “a lot” of stress the previous day
• Only 34% of employees feel that they are thriving at work and in their daily lives
• 20% of employees experienced “a lot” of loneliness the previous day
• More than half of the world’s workers have the intent to leave their current positions
• Over 60% of employees report they’re “not engaged” at work, and 15% are “actively disengaged”

Interestingly — despite these negative statistics — 54% of employees also stated that they believe it’s “a good time to find a job” in their place of residence.3 However, this is global data; it’s not just based on the United States. So, what do Americans think about their work?

A 2024 Pew Research Center report found that half of U.S. workers are either extremely or very satisfied with their jobs overall. However, 80% of respondents reported that their pay has not kept up with increases in the cost of living, 71% felt their pay didn’t match the quality of their work, and 70% said the pay was too low for the amount of work they do. These complaints were from men and women equally, though the latter did feel more often that they were paid less than co-workers who do the same type of work.4

But besides economic stress, what else creates a stressful work environment for employees? And do these factors vary by region or individual state?

To determine how stressful (or not) a given state is to work in, we gathered relevant data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation, The United States Census Bureau, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With this information, we created a ranking system that divided the most relevant factors contributing to a stressful working environment into four categories: employment-related stress, income-related stress, commuting-related stress, and sleep-related stress.

The determining factors for each of these four stress categories include:

Employment-related stress
The average number of hours worked per week, statewide unemployment rates, and whether or not a state has Right to Work laws.
Income-related stress
The average income growth rate, average hourly earnings, and average weekly earnings.
Commuting-related stress
The number of adults who report walking or biking to work, how many adults work from home, and the average time it takes to get to work.
Sleep-related stress
The proportion of adults in a state who report short sleep duration.
Using this information, we scored the individual aspects of each category, where a lower score indicated a relatively higher stress level. The state with the lowest combined score was determined to be where people feel the most stressed out (and vice versa for the least stressed).

The top ten most stressful states to work in​

Based on the results of our data analysis, the South is a particularly stressful place for workers. A majority of the top ten most stressful U.S. states to work in are located in the southern half of the country, including:

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Nevada
4. Tennessee
5. Mississippi
6. West Virginia
7. New Jersey
8. Kentucky
9. Arkansas
10. Indiana

Most of the states on this year’s top ten list aren’t new; they were also on the same list last year, namely Nevada, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Indiana. However, when it comes to newcomers as we analyzed fresh data, the most striking is perhaps Georgia, which shot all the way up from 18th last time to claim the 1st place trophy as the most stressful state to work in. Along with Georgia, the other new entries to the top ten list are New Jersey and Kentucky, which replaced Louisiana, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.

Interestingly, Nevada is the only state in the top ten most stressful list that’s not near the East Coast, and it has some of the least stressful states nearby. Nevada’s northwest neighbor, Oregon, for example, came in at 49th place — or as the second least stressful state. Utah (35th place), California (32nd), and Idaho (31st) also ranked pretty well for low-stress working conditions.

Which U.S. states are the least stressful to work in?​

Speaking of the least stressful U.S. states to work in, here are the ten best states right now for low workplace stress:

1. Minnesota (for the second year in a row)
2. Oregon
3. Vermont
4. Washington
5. Colorado
6. Maine
7. South Dakota
8. Montana
9. Wyoming
10. New Hampshire

Unlike the most stressful states, which are mainly concentrated in one part of the country, the least stressful states are more spread out. While many low-stress states are in the Upper Midwest, there are also some in the Pacific Northwest and in New England. One thing these states do share, though, is being farther north.

Most stressful states to work in by category​

Earlier, we mentioned breaking down work-related stressors into four distinct categories. These include employment-, income-, commuting-, and sleep-related stress. While the cumulative scores determined our overall rankings, it’s also interesting to take a look at which states scored the highest in each specific category — especially since the results can be a bit surprising.


Photo by Innerbody Research

Employment-related stress​

Our employment-related stress ranking utilized national data on the average hours worked per week, statewide unemployment rates, and whether a given state is considered “at-will” or “right-to-work.” The top five states with the highest employment-related stress are:

1. Kentucky
2. Louisiana
3. Texas
4. Arizona
5. Ohio

Interestingly, Kentucky (8th overall for workplace stress) is the only state on the above list that also made the top ten most stressful states to work in. However, it’s worth pointing out that Georgia (1st overall) came in 6th for employment-related stress, and both Louisiana and Ohio are ranked 11th and 12th on the overall most stressful list. So, when you take a look at the bigger picture, the rankings aren’t all that surprising.

You might think job security would be a significant factor in determining the work-related stress level of a given state, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Four out of five of the states in the above list — minus Ohio — are designated as “right-to-work” states,5 which means employees are allowed to work for unionized employers without joining the union (as opposed to “at-will” employment,6 which means you can get laid off or fired at any time for almost any reason that isn’t unlawful).7

Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that eight out of the ten least stressful states to work in are not right-to-work states. The only two that do have those laws are South Dakota (7th least stressful) and Wyoming (9th least stressful).5

Income-related stress​

To determine each state’s income-related stress, we evaluated their average hourly earnings, average weekly earnings, and income growth rate. The top five states with the most income-related stress include:

1. Nevada
2. Arkansas
3. Montana
4. Georgia
5. Kansas

Three of the top ten most stressful states to work in — Nevada (3rd), Arkansas (9th), and Georgia (1st) — are also some of the top five states with the most income-related stress. And Montana (43rd) is actually one of the least stressful states to work in, but its ranking is apparently due to the state’s low employment-, commuting-, and sleep-related stress levels, because its citizens certainly seem worried about their income.

Though inflation has steadily lowered since it reached a peak in 2021, prices have continued to rise.8 From 2020 to 2024, prices for food rose 23.6%, the cost of housing increased by 23%, and transportation prices went up by over 34%, according to a 2025 report from the USDA.9 Moreover, as we touched on earlier, Americans feel like their paychecks aren’t enough to cover the increasing costs of living.4

From our data analysis, we found that two of the states in the top five list above — Georgia and Nevada — actually saw a decrease in their average weekly earnings and income growth rate. While Georgia had a 0.52% decrease, Nevada saw a nearly 5% decrease, taking the average weekly earnings from $903 (in 2023) down to $861 (in 2024) — or $42 less. As living becomes more expensive, a decreased paycheck can certainly lead to additional income-related stress.

In comparison, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota all saw income growth rates of over 10% between 2023 and 2024. The highest increase was seen in Oregon, with a 14.54% growth rate, which brought average weekly earnings up from $1,018 to $1,166 — an increase of $148.

Commuting-related stress​

Our ratings for commuting-related stress are based on the percentage of adults who usually bike or walk to work, the percentage of adults working from home, and the average time spent commuting to work. The most stressful states for commuting are:

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Florida
5. Tennessee

If you’re able to walk or bike to work, this likely means that your place of employment isn’t too terribly far away. Being able to commute on foot or by bike not only allows you to avoid the stress of rush hour, but the exercise can also help you manage or reduce your stress.10 The five states in the list above all have some of the lowest percentages of people commuting on foot or by bicycle. Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas are the bottom three, but Georgia and Florida aren’t too far behind.

Now, if you work from home, then you can avoid commuting-related stress entirely. Interestingly, out of the aforementioned top five, only Alabama has a percentage of work-from-home employees lower than 10%. The remaining states in the above list all have percentages over 12% at the lowest, with Florida coming in at 15.8% (or 12th place overall out of all 50 states).

Finally, when it comes to commuting to work, Georgia and Florida both have some of the highest average times at 28-29 minutes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, states like New York and California have higher commuting times. Nonetheless, all of the states in the top five list above have work transportation times over 25 minutes. According to research from 2024, longer commute times — which can lead to mental fatigue — may contribute to feelings of mental burnout and impair daily job performance.11

Sleep-related stress​

Unlike the previous categories, our sleep-related stress analysis kept only one important factor in mind: the proportion of adults experiencing a short sleep duration. According to data obtained from the CDC, the top five states experiencing the worst sleep include:

1. Hawaii
2. West Virginia
3. Alabama
4. Louisiana
5. Arkansas

It’s no secret that sleep can have a massive impact on your daily life. The quality of your nightly rest can have far-reaching effects on both your mental and physical health, from learning, attention, and problem-solving to insulin response, immunity, heart health, and more.12

A lack of sleep can also lead to a vicious cycle: sleep deprivation can increase stress, and stress can lead to trouble sleeping.13 Along with negative health effects, that same stress can also increase absenteeism, reduce initiative, and diminish work performance.14

Throughout our analysis of the various data points, we noticed a number of interesting details, including:

• Georgia (1st) also ranked the highest for commuting-related stress.
• West Virginia (6th) and Arkansas (9th) both ranked high for income-, commuting-, and sleep-related stressors but performed fairly well in employment-related stress.
• Vermont (48th), Minnesota (50th), and Colorado (46th) had the least amount of sleep-related stress. (Perhaps due to cooler temperatures, which may improve sleep.)15 16
• Kentucky (8th) and Arkansas (9th) are almost mirrored in terms of their employment-related and income-related stress. Kentucky has high employment-related stress but lower income-related stress, and Arkansas is the opposite.
• Despite being in the top ten low-stress states, Montana (43rd) ranks quite high for income-related stress (3rd).
• Wyoming (42nd) is tied with Georgia (1st) in employment-related stress.
• Hawaii (34th) ranked fairly well everywhere but in sleep-related stress (1st).
• California (32nd) had some of the lowest income-related stress (48th) despite being the most expensive state to live in.17

The most stressful jobs in America​

The top ten most stressful jobs in the U.S. as of February 2025 include:24

1. Veterinary Technologist and Technician
2. Construction Worker
3. Dental Hygienist
4. Carpenter
5. Medical Assistant
6. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
7. Solar Photovoltaic Installer
8. Baker
9. Electrician
10. Pilot

When you compare the jobs on the list above to employment levels in the states with the most employment-related stress (Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and Ohio), some of them do match up. For example:

• Texas has the highest number of Veterinary Technologists and Technicians in the country25
• Texas also has the highest employment level of Construction Laborers, and Louisiana has the highest concentration of Construction Laborers26
• Though it doesn’t employ the most people (that’d be California), Texas does employ the second-highest number of Medical Assistants27

However, it’s important to point out that the most likely reason for Texas having so many employees in these jobs is because the state has the second-highest population in the country. The other highest-population states — California, Florida, and New York — also frequently appeared as places with the highest or second-highest number of people employed in jobs from the most-stressful list.28 So, while there may be some data suggesting that the states with more stressful work environments have more employees in the most high-stress jobs, it’s not necessarily the main driver of the stress or the sole reason for it.

Ways to lower work-related stress​

According to a 2024 Gallup report, American adults are more stressed now than they were 30 years ago. After a drop in stress in 2003, the number of stressed Americans has been on a steady incline, with 49% reporting frequent stress in 2023. (For comparison, the rate was 44% in 2017 and 40% in 2007.)18

Needless to say, lowering stress levels where possible could potentially bring people some major relief. In this section, we’ll go over some ways to reduce stress in the workplace.

For employees​

The American Psychological Association (APA) and Harvard Business Review both offer some tips for employees to manage or recover from workplace stress. These methods include:19 20

• Track your stressors and how you respond to them in a journal to identify patterns.
• Establish work-life boundaries (e.g., not checking work emails at home in the evening).
• Take time to focus on or do activities that don’t involve work.
• Exercise regularly and learn how to relax (e.g., meditation, mindfulness).
• Take micro-breaks, if possible (e.g., take a couple of minutes to stretch every two hours)21
• Speak to your supervisor and come up with a plan to reduce stress and improve your productivity.

For employers​

According to the results of a 2021 APA study, 87% of employees feel that actions from their employer would help improve their mental health.22 Though most resources available are for employees, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor hosts a page with guidance on how employers can reduce workplace stress.

Some key actions employers can take include:23

• Acknowledge that each person has unique circumstances in their personal life that can impact their behavior at work or their performance. They may be experiencing things like sickness, grief, loneliness, or other stressors, such as caring for a child or other loved one.
• Identify factors that could be contributing to stress in the workplace, such as obstacles that may be making it more difficult for employees to complete their jobs.
• Show empathy by ensuring workers that they aren’t alone, there’s no shame in feeling stress or anxiety, and that asking for help is important.
• Provide access to mental health resources, supportive services, and paid time off or sick leave without penalty.

For more information and resources on workplace stress, the OSHA Workplace Stress hub also provides guides, checklists, fact sheets, posters, and more for both employers and employees.

Methodology​

We created a metadata-ranking system to determine the most and least stressful states in which to work within the United States. We based our rankings on four major categories: employment-related stress, income-related stress, commuting-related stress, and sleep-related stress. Then, we scored the individual aspects of each category (a lower score indicating a relatively higher level of stress), and the state with the lowest combined score (on a scale of 1 to 50) was determined to be the most stressful state. We also totaled up the scores to determine which state did the worst or best in each category.

Fair use statement​

Innerbody Research is committed to providing objective, science-based suggestions and research to help our readers make more informed decisions regarding health and wellness. We invested the time and effort into creating this report to explore which states had “better” or “worse” conditions for employment (e.g., which states were the most or least stressful to work in). We hope to reach as many people as possible by making this information widely available. As such, please feel free to share our content for educational, editorial, or discussion purposes. We only ask that you link back to this page and credit the author as Innerbody.com.