The year-end holidays are a time for celebration, for reconnecting with friends and family, for feasting, for giving and receiving gifts. They are also, however, a period many people find stressful — and this year, the holidays look to be particularly particularly problematic in that regard.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, 31% of American adults report that they expect to feel more stressed over the holidays this year than they did in 2022. Potential drivers of stress, says the APA, include the difficulty of affording holiday meals and finding and affording holiday gifts. (These are the states where inflation is stressing people out the most.)
Other sources cite such stress-inducers as fear of being judged or criticized by family members, concerns about national and international conflicts, and worrying about the flu, COVID, and other respiratory diseases — which tend to spike in the winter months and are easily spread at large gatherings. (We should be thankful that we’re not currently enduring one of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history.)
It turns out that stress levels, like so many other realities of modern life, vary considerably from state to state. 24/7 Tempo has reviewed a new study by All Star Homes, a home improvement site, which has determined the states whose residents expect to suffer the highest level of stress this season.
The site asked respondents across the country to rate their day-to-day stress level most of the year on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the most stressful) and then to rate their holiday stress level on the same scale. The difference between the two numbers was averaged for each location. Then the scores were adjusted on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest increase in stress during the holidays. (Ten states were excluded from the study due to insufficient data.)
Participants in the study were asked if they dreaded seeing any family members during the holiday season, if they feel judged or criticized during the holidays, and which holiday activities stress them the most, among other questions.
Utah had the dubious honor of earning the highest holiday stress score, 93.0, about nine points above second-place Missouri. On the basis of individual questions, Utah also ranked highest for residents who feel criticized or judged over the holidays, with New York and Maine following closely.
Here are the states most stressed by the holidays
40. South Carolina
- Holiday stress score: 34/100
39. Oklahoma
- Holiday stress score: 38.5/100
38. Pennsylvania
- Holiday stress score: 45.1/100
37. Arkansas
- Holiday stress score: 45.4/100
36. Indiana
- Holiday stress score: 47/100
35. Illinois
- Holiday stress score: 52.1/100
34. New Jersey
- Holiday stress score: 52.4/100
33. Texas
- Holiday stress score: 53.5/100
32. Wisconsin
- Holiday stress score: 54.5/100
31. Louisiana
- Holiday stress score: 54.5/100
30. Maryland
- Holiday stress score: 55.6/100
29. Connecticut
- Holiday stress score: 55.6/100
28. Michigan
- Holiday stress score: 56.7/100
27. Florida
- Holiday stress score: 57.7/100
26. Nevada
- Holiday stress score: 59.1/100
25. Tennessee
- Holiday stress score: 59.9/100
24. Oregon
- Holiday stress score: 62.1/100
23. Iowa
- Holiday stress score: 64/100
22. Massachusetts
- Holiday stress score: 64.6/100
21. Idaho
- Holiday stress score: 65.1/100
20. New York
- Holiday stress score: 65.2/100
19. Colorado
- Holiday stress score: 65.6/100
18. Mississippi
- Holiday stress score: 65.8/100
17. Washington
- Holiday stress score: 66.4/100
16. Maine
- Holiday stress score: 68/100
15. California
- Holiday stress score: 68.4/100
14. Kentucky
- Holiday stress score: 68.9/100
13. Alabama
- Holiday stress score: 69.7/100
12. Kansas
- Holiday stress score: 70/100
11. New Mexico
- Holiday stress score: 71.4/100
10. Virginia
- Holiday stress score: 71.7/100
9. North Carolina
- Holiday stress score: 71.9/100
8. Arizona
- Holiday stress score: 72.2/100
7. Minnesota
- Holiday stress score: 74.1/100
6. Nebraska
- Holiday stress score: 74.1/100
5. West Virginia
- Holiday stress score: 76.7/100
4. Georgia
- Holiday stress score: 78.4/100
3. Ohio
- Holiday stress score: 80.1/100
2. Missouri
- Holiday stress score: 83.9/100
1. Utah
- Holiday stress score: 93/100