Bismarck was ranked as North Dakota's most stressed out city in a recent study.

When we think of stress, the usual factors that immediately come to mind are work and finances. According to 24/7 Wall St., many American still face problems with debt, wages, and poverty. Although the stress levels of Americans remain mostly the same over the past several years, triggering stress factors such as anxiety, anger, and fatigue have become more frequent, as the American Psychological Association points out.

The APA has said the largest sources of stress are as follows: money, work, the political climate, violence/crimes, and the future of the nation. Based on these stress factors quantified throughout urban areas all over the country, the most stressed out cities in each state were determined in the U.S. In North Dakota, the most stressed out city is Bismarck.

The reasoning behind this comes down to where those stress factors rank:

> Poverty: 9.2% (bottom 10%)
> Avg. weekly hours worked: 40.2 (highest 10%)
> Unemployment: 2.6% (bottom 10%)
> Violent crime: 294 per 100,000 people
> Adults in fair/poor health: 11.9% (bottom 10%)

Despite the recent study, I have a hard time grasping the idea that Bismarck is really that stressed out. For what it's worth, I've been here for over a year and a half and honestly, it's easily the most laid back area throughout the country that I've lived in. That list includes states in the south and midwest.

So chill, North Dakota (that's not a weather pun). We could be in much more stressful places than Bismarck. Like for instance, any other city on this list.

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