
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Feeling anxious? You're not alone. Philadelphia is the 5th most-stressed city in America, according to a WalletHub analysis.
Why it matters: It might seem like a clicky list, but that ranking largely stems from our ignominious position as one of the poorest big cities in the country.
- Philly's fellows at the top of the list — Cleveland, Detroit and Baltimore — all have a similar profile: a burden of deep, structural poverty while simultaneously reckoning with their post-industrial futures.
State of play: We ranked 2nd for "work stress" and 6th for "financial stress."
- Work stress includes things we all can agree are terrible, like traffic congestion and commute times (hello, 76!) — but it also pulls in far bigger issues, including job security metrics and the share of households where no adults work.
- Financial stress includes things like the poverty rate, household debt, credit scores and food insecurity.
The big picture: Pew's latest state of the city report measured Philly's poverty rate at 23.3% in 2019 — third-highest in the U.S. and well above the national average of 10.5%.
- The other members of the top four? Cleveland (30.8%), Detroit (30.6%) and Baltimore (20.2%).
- Poverty in Philly disproportionately affects people of color. It's experienced by 40.2% of Hispanic residents, 26.7% of Black residents and 23.1% of Asian residents — compared to 12.7% of white residents.
The bottom line: Sometimes an internet ranking can expose deeper truths about where we live.

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Philadelphia.
More Philadelphia stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Philadelphia.