Seattle Named Least Stressful City in Americas Region

Seattle has been named the least stressful city to live in the Americas region, according to the World’s Least and Most Stressful Cities index prepared by British firm Zipjet.

Some of the less stressful cities in Latin America include San Jose in Costa Rica and Uruguay’s Montivideo. Ranked 46 on the index, the Costa Rican capital is less stressful than even London, Rome, and New York City.

Considering the report, unemployment, debt, traffic jams, lack of social security, pollution, and a thick density of population are some of the major causes of stress.

In North America, Seattle (12) is followed by the Canadian cities of Montreal (24), Vancouver (28), and Toronto (34).

Seattle has one of America’s highest minimum wages and four of its five top employers are tech firms, including Amazon and Microsoft.

Many Latin American cities are ranked low on the index: Santiago, Chile (76);  Panama City, Panama (77); Asunción, Paraguay (90); Quito, Ecuador (115); Buenos Aires, Argentina (116); Bogota, Colombia (117); Lima, Peru (118); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (120); Medellin, Colombia (123); Mexico City, Mexico (125); Guatemala City (127); El Salvador, (128); São Paulo, Brazil (136); and Caracas, Venezuela (139).

Florian Färber, Managing Director of Zipjet, says the reason for preparing the index is to inform the stressful locations on how to overcome the issue. “Mental health problems are on the rise worldwide, with stress being a trigger and contributing factor toward this increase.”

Topping the index is Stuttgart. The authors of the report say the German city is the least stressful urban center in the world.