Stressed out about money? You’re not alone. As a 40-year-high rate of inflation wreaks havoc across the country and the Fed weighs another interest spike this week, the effects are taking a toll on many families. According to CNBC, citing a study from Moody’s, most households in America are spending $445 more in monthly expenses than this time last year.

                By                    Selena Fragassi

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With those factors in mind — and to commemorate Stress Awareness Day on Nov. 2 — virtual primary care and mental health center PlushCare completed a study to determine which regions across the country are most stressed out.

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When it comes to which regions are most feeling the pressure concerning money matters, the results were surprising. Montana is far and away the leader in terms of most financially stressed out states — offering up a 55.56% positive result rate.

To gather their data, PlushCare went to the spot where people vent most: Twitter. The company analyzed 4 million geotagged tweets sent from 340 markets that used key terms like “my bills,” “my paycheck,” “my salary,” “my wage,” “my finances,” “my bank account,” “my investments” and “my savings.”

Once they collected the wide range of tweets, the team at PlushCare used a tool called TensiStrength that “estimates the level of stress of a text based on its wording.” Then, the team sorted the results based on the city each tweet originated from and which category it fell into. In addition to money concerns, PlushCare also looked at which cities and states are most stressed about relationships, education, careers, the news and social media.

Surprisingly, the paradise state of Hawaii came back as the most stressed state in all categories, whereas South Carolina ranked as the least stressed state overall. Further, two cities in California hit the charts: Oakland for most stressed overall and Santa Clarita for most stressed in one category — social media.

But when it comes to money, here’s where the most stressed states fall, per the PlushCare analysis:

  • Montana (55.56%).Vermont (47.01%).Alaska (45.54%).Wyoming (45.21%).Hawaii (45%).Nevada (44.3%).Rhode Island (44.12%).North Dakota (43.98%).Nebraska (43.96%).West Virginia (43.91%).

On the other end of the spectrum, PlushCare found that Mississippi seems to be the least stressed when it comes to money matters (a rate of just 34.26%) even though the U.S. Census Bureau determined that the state is among the top three where households face hardship.

These findings are part of a growing problem across the country where stress has become a huge part of daily life for many people. As PlushCare cited, the American Psychological Association reported that 41% of adults in the U.S. said their stress levels have risen since the onset of the pandemic. Ongoing economic effects and the Russia-Ukraine conflict are currently the factors most affecting people’s stress levels.

PlushCare offered some tips for coping with stress in general, such as: getting enough sleep, limiting the time you spend watching news, talking to people you trust and seeking professional help when needed.

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But there are also some other ideas for helping to manage financial stress in particular, courtesy of Bank of America:

  • Identify what is causing you the most financial stress: Is it credit card bills? Utilities? Make a list and plan to tackle those items first. Then revisit it every so often as your situation changes.Establish a monthly budget and stick to it: Allocating specific dollars to each bucket of financial obligations (the bucket budgeting method) will help you keep on track and not overspend. Make sure to add small items too, like weekly coffee trips, since they add up.Spend your monthly income wisely: First you’ll want to separate what you buy based on what you need and what you want. Target your needs first. See where you might be able to cut back — perhaps adding $50 a month to credit card payments until they are paid off.Set aside an emergency savings fund: Things always come up, whether it’s car repairs or losing a job. Having some money set aside in advance will help make those situations less stressful and easier to cope with. Even if you start small, regular deposits will pile up.Have a strategy for debt: Credit card debt is one of the biggest financial stress triggers. Coming up with a plan to tackle it will help ease this. Some people do a “snowball” strategy, paying off cards one by one starting with the smallest amount owed. Some borrowers do a “high rate” option where the cards with the highest interest rates are tackled first.Seek professional help: Just like you might seek out a therapist to help with general stress, a financial advisor can help alleviate budgetary stress. They can set up a plan and keep you on track so your situation improves over time.