Cities hit hardest by crime, poverty rank among America's least relaxed, study finds

With many Americans leaving high-cost, high-crime cities behind, a new study found that daily life in some U.S. communities is significantly more "relaxed."

A new ranking by LawnStarter shows that many pockets of calm exist far from urban centers, which are ripe with stress and instability.

The study analyzed 500 cities across 42 metrics related to well-being, including sleep quality, mental health, commute times, access to nature, financial stability and recreation. Wealthy suburbs and tech hubs with high incomes and reliable local amenities help shield residents from some of the stresses many other parts of the country deal with, the lawn care service's report found.

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San Jose took the top spot among large cities, mainly for its mental and physical well-being scores. San Francisco and Seattle, which have ample outdoor access and high salaries, followed closely behind. Suburban havens in midsize cities also topped the list, including Sunnyvale, California; Naperville, Illinois; and Carmel, Indiana.

Smaller cities such as Newton, Massachusetts; Mountain View, California; and Woodbury, Minnesota, also ranked highly with strong scores in mental health, finances and social support.

LawnStarter noted that 26 of the top 30 cities have median household incomes of $106,000 or more, well above the national median of about $84,000.

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At the bottom of the rankings were cities such as Flint, Michigan; Dayton, Ohio; and Detroit. They saw high smoking rates, elevated blood pressure, inadequate sleep and long-term economic strain drag down quality of life, according to the findings. Other cities faring poorly, such as Memphis and Cleveland, battle high crime, traffic fatalities and persistent poverty.

While California cities dominated the top tier thanks to high incomes and positive wellness factors, parts of the Pacific Northwest, like Spokane, Washington and Eugene, Oregon landed on the opposite end with some of the nation's highest depression rates - a trend often linked to long, dark winters and seasonal affective disorder.

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Many large urban centers face intense pressure from record-high housing costs, deteriorating infrastructure, and illegal immigration surges that strain public services, according to multiple reports. As a result, many Americans have already fled high-cost cities in search of safer neighborhoods, more space and a lower cost of living.

Many Americans are increasingly leaving high-cost metros in search of safer neighborhoods, more space and a lower cost of living, according to Business Insider.

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The New York Post reported that both New York City and Los Angeles have seen major worker losses as residents flee to cheaper, lower-stress cities in the South.

Residents are especially fleeing California, South Florida, Long Island and New Jersey "in droves" for the South, according to a July report from personal finance magazine Kiplinger. They are primarily driven by surging housing costs, overcrowding and a sharply higher cost of living. Nearly two-thirds of movers went to lower-cost Southern and Sun Belt cities, the outlet reported, places that often overlap with the nation's most relaxed and least stressed communities.

"Public policies that provide income security, safe housing, good nutrition, health insurance, and family-friendly workplaces would go a very long way in reducing stress nationwide," Boston University sociology professor Deborah Carr, Ph.D., said in the LawnStarter report. "However, that is a big wish list that is difficult to achieve," Carr added.