Just How Stressed Are New Yorkers in 2026?

Just how stressed are New Yorkers, glad you asked, as a recent study took some time to analyze our stress levels versus the rest of the states. While we aren't the least stressed (let's be realistic here), simultaneously, we aren't the most stressed, so let's call our ranking a WIN.

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April Is Stress Awareness Month

I'm not just saying this for the sake of this story, i'm the type of person who is ALWAYS stressed about something, and if there's nothing at that particular moment to have me stressed, i'll stress that i'm NOT stressed...it is a sickness.

It should not come as a surprise that given recent times, the future of the nation, the economy, and work (employment) topped the list of last year's biggest stressors (2025), but the 2026 metrics are in, and help to identify which states are best taking care of themselves when it comes to stress, and which may need a little help.

According to the National Institute of Stress, long term stress can affect more than just you mind. With that in mind, there are a few tips they've provided to help manage/cope with every day stressors.

• recognize when you don't have control of something, and let it go
• avoid getting anxious about situations that you can't change
• take control of reactions, focus your mind on something calming
• develop a vision for health, wellness, personal growth, and set realistic goals

State By State Stress Levels

WalletHub's 2026 analysis of most and least stressed states puts New York at number 18 most stressed with contributing stress factors like housing affordability (3rd), percentage of population living in poverty (10th), share of adults getting adequate sleep (10th) with '1' being the most stressed and '50' being the least.

New Yorkers apparently rank 44th when it comes to number of hours worked per week, 49th for psychologists per capita, and 28th for divorce rate. Overall, when looking at the key areas analyzed as a whole, NY's work-related stress ranking is /550, money-related stress ranking is 32/50, family-related stress ranking 3/50, and finally, health & safety-related stress ranking is 45/50. A full breakdown of results can be found here.

New Yorkers apparently rank 44th when it comes to number of hours worked per week, 49th for psychologists per capita, and 28th for divorce rate. Overall, when looking at the key areas analyzed as a whole, NY's work-related stress ranking is /550, money-related stress ranking is 32/50, family-related stress ranking 3/50, and finally, health & safety-related stress ranking is 45/50. A full breakdown of results can be found here.

In comparison, the least stressed state is South Dakota, and the most, Louisiana due to the fact that it has the highest poverty rate in the country, high unemployment rates, and low job security numbers.