Atlanta #15 on "Most Stressful Cities" list | News

ATLANTA -- Atlanta is #15 on Sperling's BestPlaces 2012 list of the "Most Stressful" U.S. cities. Atlanta's time-consuming commutes were among reasons the city made the list.

Sperling's BestPlaces is a Portland, Oregon-based research firm that specializes in livability rankings. The organization's latest study analyzed a number of factors associated with stress, including commute times, suicide, divorce, and joblessness.

Five Florida cities landed in the top 10, with Tampa earning the title of "Most Stressful City." Other Florida cities on the list are Miami (#3), Jacksonville (#4), Orlando (#6), and West Palm Beach (#10).

"Frankly, I was shocked by the concentration of Florida cities clustered in the top ten," said lead researcher Bert Sperling. "But when we look into the statistics, we can see some of the reasons."

Contributing factors in Florida are high levels of divorce and suicide, unemployment, and the state's real estate boom and bust, the article said.

The five most stressful cities, according to the study, are: Tampa (#1), Las Vegas (#2), Miami (#3), Jacksonville (#4), and Detroit (#5).