Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Aggravating Report: NYC Ranks 2nd On Most Stressed Cities List
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 7, 2014
Modified May 7, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published May 7, 2014
Modified May 7, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York may be the dirtiest, rudest and most expensive $10 latte-boasting city of them all, but we may not be #1 when it comes to soul-crushing stress—a new study taken by data crunchers who have presumably never pulled a giant rat out of a Foot Locker box says we're only the second most stressed out city in the United States.
The study, put together by real estate blog Movoto, used commute time, unemployment, high cost of living, crime, hours worked, population density and percentage of income spent on rent to determine the top ten most stressed cities, and our own little town made the ranks thanks to our 44 minute average commute time, obscene rents and cacophonous crowds. And this isn't the first time NYC's been subjected to second best in a stress ranking. Last year we took the silver in a Forbes/Gallup poll, sandwiched between smog-covered traffic jam Los Angeles and frozen hellscape Chicago.
Movoto's study, though, smacks those faux-anxious cities out of the top five: Chicago earning the number 7 spot and Los Angeles made the sad slide all the way to number 10, proving a person cannot possibly be stressed out when surrounded by sunshine, avocados and fedora-sporting celebrities.
So what F-train bereft city stole our top honors this time? That would be Washington, D.C., with "residents working an average of 40.1 hours a week," presumably coupled with the stress of having a murderous Kevin Spacey as a coworker and fearing the baby panda will fall out of her tree. And Miami, inexplicably, rolls in at number 3, since they spend about 37 percent of their yearly household income on rent, how cute!
You can peruse the full list of stressed out cities here, and please toss your Xanax prescription and focus on your piddling retirement funds before they start culling rankings for next year.
Tagged
movoto
stress
study
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Need help with mental health or addiction services? NYC has a new tool.
In surveys, many who say they want want help state they don't know where to start.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
News
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
By
Catalina Gonella
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .