If you are a high school student who prepared for ACT tests scheduled for last weekend …
If you planned to fly to a sunny beach for a spring vacation …
If you own a golf course or a lawn-care service …
If you’re the Minnesota Twins, who have had four games postponed already …
If you’re just tired of winter …
Then last weekend’s snowstorm might have cranked up your stress level. A storm that was forecast to be over by Saturday noon lingered into Saturday night, then Sunday, then Sunday night.
The latest dump of spring snow forced the cancellation of college-entrance tests, totally shut down Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for an unprecedented eight hours and delayed for days if not weeks any hope of playing or watching spring sports.
So, you may not believe what I’m about to report.
Minnesota is the least stressful place to live of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Apparently, April is Stress Awareness Month and the personal-finance website WalletHub measured the states with the highest stress levels by comparing 38 key metrics.
The data sets ranged from average hours worked per week to personal bankruptcy rate to share of adults getting adequate sleep. The study combined those 38 scores and calculated ratings in four key dimensions.
The study revealed these stress levels in Minnesota. (A “1” ranking means the most stressed place, so higher numbers are good.)
Work stress 42nd
Family stress 49th
Money stress 51st
Health and safety stress 51st
The overall score produced a No. 1 rank for Minnesota. Among the 38 key metrics, Minnesota ranked in the top 10 percent for highest median credit score, lowest percentage of adults in poor health, the number of psychologists, low divorce rate and a low percentage of people living in poverty.
If you’ve had enough of cold and snow and you’re dreaming about moving to a warmer place, you might want to reconsider.
Louisiana residents scored the highest stress levels, followed by New Mexico.
In fact, four of the five least-stressful places are in the Upper Midwest. Following Minnesota are North Dakota, Utah, Iowa and South Dakota.
And there’s more good news for healthful living, according to recent medical research.
Men in Minnesota live longer than those in any other state. Minnesota women rank fourth.
The findings were published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Minnesotans have the fourth-longest life expectancy, with an average life span of 80.8 years, ranking behind only Hawaii, California and Connecticut. Mississippi had the lowest life expectancy, with an average of 74.7 years. Mississippi also failed the stress study, ranking as the fourth-most stressful state.
Minnesota men have an average life expectancy of 78.7 years. Minnesota women have an average life expectancy of 82.9 years.
Minnesota residents overall lead the nation in “healthy life expectancy” at 70.3 years. That category is defined as years of life spent in full health.
The study covered 333 diseases and injuries and 84 risk factors.
Minnesotans, stay put. To be happy and healthy, generally avoid the southeastern states.
Put down the shovel, take a deep breath. “State with the most snow” doesn’t even show up on the stress list.
