Stress is least in Salt Lake, most in Detroit, report says

CHICAGO — Detroit is the most stressful U.S. city in which to live, according to Portfolio.com's list of places where residents are most frazzled.

The least stressful? Salt Lake City.

Portfolio.com says that's thanks to the Utah capital's low levels of crime, easy commutes, high employment and good health standing.

Detroit's No. 1 position is linked to an unemployment rate of 14.3 percent, the 9.9 percent of families in poverty, the high numbers of murders and robberies, and even a lack of sunshine, according to Portfolio.com, which published the study Tuesday.

Los Angeles took second place on the most-stressful list, due to its expensive housing rates, significant levels of air pollution and high unemployment rate. Cleveland ranked third, with the most robberies per 100,000 residents of the 50 metropolitan areas studied and an increased number of deaths caused by heart failure, hypertension and stroke.

To come up with the ranking, the site considered local unemployment rates, personal financial data, environmental factors, health risks, crime rates and living standards, with data collected from government agencies and private firms.

The top 10 most stressful cities, according to the study:

 Detroit

 Los Angeles

 Cleveland

 Riverside, Calif.

 St. Louis

 New York

 New Orleans

 Chicago

 Birmingham, Ala.

 Miami-Fort Lauderdale

The top 10 least stressful cities, according to the study:

 Salt Lake City

 Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Va.

 Minneapolis-St. Paul

 Raleigh, N.C.

 Austin, Texas

 Oklahoma City

 Denver

 San Antonio

 Kansas City

 Phoenix

The study was part of the website's U.S. Uncovered series, which has previously published rankings on the best midsize places to live and the best big places to live. The series can be seen at: www.portfolio.com/guides/us-uncovered/