Ohio better than average when it comes to stress

(The Center Square) – It’s been more than a year filled with at least some type of stress for nearly everyone across Ohio. COVID-19 concerns, job losses, stay-at-home orders, deaths, hospitalizations and curfews created stress far beyond the normal daily lives of many.

Ohio, though, seemed to handle it a little better than most other states, at least according to a recent study from WalletHub, a personal finance website.

The Buckeye State ranked 21st overall based on 41 key indicators of stress used to determine the places to avoid and achieve a more relaxing life. That data ranged from average hours worked per week to personal bankruptcy rate to the share of adults getting adequate sleep.

“The biggest source of stress for Americans in 2021 is money problems,” Adam McCann, financial writer for WalletHub, wrote in the report. “The COVID-19 pandemic, which took first place last year, has slipped to second. Overall stress levels are not uniform across the country, though, and certain states worry more than others about specific issues.”

In Ohio, saving for college was one of the most stressful things, according to the survey, and sleep ranked high.

Ohio ranked 19th for handling health-and-safety-related stress, 21st in money-related stress, 25th in family-related stress and 28th in work-related stress.

“Ohio ranks in the middle of the pack for the most stressed states,” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst. “Some of the things that cause its residents to be stressed include the fact that almost 65% of them are unable to save for children’s college, and the fact that less than 58% of adults are getting adequate sleep. Another cause for stress in the state is the high number of hate crime incidents per capita.”

Gonzalez also said the state scored high points for housing affordability, low parental stress and low bullying incidents rate.

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