Study places Seattle second nationwide for work-related stress, long commutes, demanding IT and corporate jobs to blame

Seattle, Washington – According to a recent survey that highlighted growing concerns about burnout and anxiety in major U.S. cities, Seattle workers are among the most stressed in the country.

Seattle ranks second overall for work-related stress and anxiety, indicating a significant degree of emotional strain among locals balancing demanding jobs with a fast-paced metropolitan lifestyle.

Researchers at Compare the Market, who specialize in comparing health insurance, looked at how frequently people in major American cities searched online for phrases associated with stress and anxiety at work.

The researchers examined search behavior as an indicator for how frequently people are looking for information or treatment related to mental strain, rather than depending on surveys or self-reported sentiments. The findings imply that those living in Seattle are actively searching for coping mechanisms.

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In contrast to many other cities, Seattle residents searched for “stress relief” more than 4,990 times in the last 12 months. Additionally, searches for burnout, stress at work, and signs of anxiety were consistently high. According to the aggregated data, San Francisco came in third position, closely behind Seattle, which came in second behind Atlanta, which took first overall.

Major metropolitan regions are the focal point of stress, as the entire top 10 list represents. The top-ranked cities were Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Boston, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Kansas City, and Portland. Many of these places have high living expenses, competitive job markets, and industries that frequently need long hours, all of which could put workers under constant stress.

The study employed a structured scoring method to arrive at its conclusions. “Work burnout,” “work depression,” “work stress,” and “how to deal with work stress” were the four anxiety-related search keywords the researchers examined. These searches were measured per 100,000 residents to account for population differences between cities.

To ensure uniformity between locations, the data from each city was then normalized on a scale from zero to one. Cities received a score of 0 for a category if they did not display any quantifiable search data for that phrase.

The study examined larger anxiety and stress markers in addition to workplace stress. These included searches for “chronic stress,” “anxiety symptoms,” “stress relief,” “anxiety management,” “how to deal with anxiety,” and “stress symptoms.” Each city’s ranking was finally established by adding the scores from all categories to create a total work anxiety score out of 100.

Seattle’s high ranking indicates that its residents actively seek out information regarding stress management as opposed to dismissing it. The analysis shows the level of concern among employees, even though it does not provide an explanation for the precise reasons for the searches. The strain of managing work and personal life, long commutes, and demanding corporate and IT roles could all be contributing factors.

Overall, the results highlight how widespread worry at work has become in major American cities. Seattle’s second-place rating serves as a reminder that burnout is a common problem that affects thousands of locals who are seeking solace online.