Ha, note we are ranked first for number of hours worked at a measly 41.2 hrs/week. I wish that was all I worked. STRESSED OUT! America's Most Stressful Cities 2010 Francesca Levy, Forbes.com, Forbes.com Aug 17, 2010 Anxiety levels are running high in these metros. Every day overwhelmed Las Vegas residents flood the Stress Management Center of Nevada, looking for relief from their problems. They often complain of irregular work hours that keep them away from their families, and tensions that result from family health crises. "Las Vegas has got its share of stressors," says Kathleen Grace Santor M.Ed., Ed.S., a therapist and yoga instructor who founded the center and has studied stress for 15 years. "The 24-hour day requires employees to work 24 hours a day. They're too busy, they have too much on their plate, and they're always hurried." There's a good reason that Santor's business is brisk. Forbes found Las Vegas to be the most stressful city in the country, followed by Los Angeles, Calif., and Houston, Texas. To pinpoint the most stressed-out cities, we measured the country's largest metropolitan areas on six metrics that can either cause or be caused by stress: high unemployment, long commute times, long work hours, limited access to health care, poor physical health and a lack of exercise. Frayed nerves in Sin City To 36 million tourists per year, Las Vegas is a place to blow off steam and get away from the pressures of daily life. But residents of the city are far from carefree. The housing crisis and recession hit the city hard, and it currently has a 14.5% unemployment rate, the highest of all the cities we studied. Making matters worse is how few people are taking steps to relieve the pressure. Physical exercise is known to reduce stress, but Las Vegans exercise less than residents of any other big city--a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey showed that nearly 30% of all residents hadn't exercised in the past month. "Someone who exercises for 30 minutes a day is going to have a lower level of stress hormones in their bloodstream than someone who never does," says Santos, who adds that the searing Las Vegas sun and biting desert winds inhibit outdoor exercise. "Right now nobody is going to go out walking. It's not one of those nice places where it's conducive to go for a walk and then come back and cook dinner." Health pressures in the City of Angels Another busy city in a warm climate, Los Angeles, Calif., takes second place for stressfulness, in part because it has among the lowest scores for the well-being of its residents--22.8% of Angelinos reported that their health was less than good. Physical and mental health are closely intertwined, and it's hard to keep from stressing out when one's body is failing. Workaholics keep Houston tense The economy in Houston, Texas, is relatively healthy--unemployment is below the national average--but prosperity may come at a price. Houstonians work the longest hours of any city we ranked; an average of 41.2 hours per week. Furthermore, that toil isn't always rewarded with a solid insurance package--the city also has the highest percentage of people without any type of health care, at 25%. Grueling work hours can add to anxiety and a lack of health care means that stress-related illnesses will go untreated. In many cities, stress is the price locals pay for other advantages. In Houston, for example, workers may burn the midnight oil, but they are rewarded for it with median household incomes of $54,811 annually, 4.8% higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Census. Lots of stressful cities also have plenty to offer that outweigh the stress for some. Las Vegas and New York, for instance, were tied for "coolest" cities in a recent Forbes poll. Keeping stress under control Santor suggests that people who live in stressful places should take time to breathe, mentally rehearse their reactions to stressful situations, and learn simple meditation techniques to keep their anxiety from snowballing. "There's a lot of ripple effect from fundamental stress factors," says Santor. "But there are so many simple things you can do to relieve stress that don't cost anything."
If the Texans, Astros, Rockets win a world title I don't think we would even be mention as a stressful city, because we can party like no other when we do win a title!!!
Besides the traffic (and the inability of the pro teams to stay healthy), I can't think of anything stressful about living here. Sure, the summers are hell but while other cities are shoveling snow while their cars are warming up, we're driving around with the windows rolled down.
Nothing stressful when I was living there. People mention traffic, but when you've been in other cities with real traffic jams, Houston's traffic is a breeze. Must be the dwindling number of strip joints?
I'm sure the umpteenth consecutive days of oppressive humidity and heat have ZERO TO DO WITH ME GETTING STRESSDE THE FAWK OUT! Rain damnit!
What? Outside of NYC (who has a freaking subway system as an alternative) and LA, there is no city with worse traffic
The author fails to mention the many stress relief concerns currently peppered around this great city. This fact renders the article as incomplete.
I've sat through far more torturous traffic jams in Dallas and even Austin than I have driving in Houston on a daily basis. Granted those were just a few occasions, but it was brutal. I think Houston traffic gets a little overblown, unless you drive 290 everyday.
Lived in Dallas for 2 years...Houston is MUCH worse. 45, 290, 610 by the galleria...much worse than Dallas traffic. At least 10 has become more managable now that it's 100 lanes wide
Being one of the fattest and most polluted cities worries Houstonians....and eat...and drive....and stress...and
Forbes tends to use questionable metrics in its polls and they're getting worse about it. I don't think fatties living a sedentary lifestyle are equivalent to A-type burnouts freaking over their jobs in places like NY or Vegas. Traffic is a legit thing to consider, but jobs and money are 80% of the pie.
If this is the criteria (which seem reasonable enough), Houston is a good candidate. Employment is relatively good, but all the others would keep us high in the rankings. Houston has plenty of workaholics and high expectations -- I don't know why people think work is more laid back here than it would be in some place like New York.
yeah, people work too hard here. i've been getting sucked into that a bit lately. i hate being stressed out. money is NOT worth being unhappy.
The criteria cites one of the main reasons as being because Houstonians average a 41.2 hour work week. I can think of some reasons why Houston might make the list, but that's not really one of them. Whatever, these "lists" are always so lame.
