Madison ranks among least stressed cities in the country

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Americans have increasingly felt more stress after the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a record-high inflation rate, and even spiking homicide rates. A new survey, however, finds that people living in Wisconsin’s capital appear to be dealing with less stress than nearly everyone else in the country.

Out of 182 cities, Madison ranks 171 – 12th from the bottom making it a fairly stress-free city. Cleveland, Ohio ranks as the number one most stressed city, followed by Detroit, Baltimore, Birmingham, and Philadelphia.

Around 83% of Americans currently feel stressed about inflation and 75% feel stressed about violence and crime, according to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association.

Stress can be good in the right doses, according to Psychology Today. “A little bit of stress, known as ‘acute stress,’ can be exciting – it keeps us active and alert.” If stress reaches an unmanageable level, it becomes ‘chronic.’

Here are the top 15 least stressed cities:

1. South Burlington, VT

2. Freemont, CA

3. Sioux Falls, SD

4. Overland Park, KS

5. Fargo, ND

6. Lincoln, NE

7. Burlington, VT

8. Bismarck, ND

9. Rapid City, SD

10. Nashua, NH

11. Plano, TX