#4 Washington, D.C.

Forbes.com: America's Most Stressful Cities

With a high cost of living and, along with Chicago, the number-one worst traffic congestion in the country, commuters lose 70 hours a year to traffic jams. It's clear that politics isn’t the only thing causing anxiety in our nation’s capitol. On the bright side, the metro area's unemployment rate is only 6.1%.

(Photo: Getty Images) More From Forbes:
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#10 Seattle, Was... Perhaps the most surprising of our inclusions is this groovy-grunge Pacific Northwest favorite—home to the eighth least affordable housing on our list, the eighth worst traffic congestion (forcing commuters to lose 44 hours a year sitting in jams), a cost of living index that tops that of both Chicago and Miami, and a mere 157 possible sunny days a year—the most gloomy ranking on our list. At least the coffee’s good.

(Photo: ZUMA Press/Newscom)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#9 Dallas, Texas Folks here work the third-longest hours—36.7 a week—out of all the cities on our list. Add to that a serious traffic problem, high ozone levels and high-priced housing and it becomes clear what residents here have to gnash their jaws over.

(Photo: Getty Images/SuperStock)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#8 Boston, Mass. A low unemployment rate—7.1%—and decent air quality can only keep Bostonians calm for so long, considering the city’s high population density, serious traffic backups and largely unaffordable housing stock.

(Photo: Forbes)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#7 San Francisco... Residents here deal with a 10.1% unemployment rate, the nation’s second least affordable housing and a high cost of living—not to mention the country’s sixth worst traffic congestion and the second highest population density.

(Photo: AP)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#6 Philadelphia,... The City of Brotherly Love has its nasty side, too: an unemployment rate of 9.1%, dangerously high ozone levels, sixth-highest population density and eighth-highest cost of living on our list—plus a serious traffic-congestion problem and an average of way too many (161) cloudy or rainy days.

(Photo:AP)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
The Easiest And Hardest Cities For Finding A Job
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#5 San Diego, Ca... America’s Finest City is not the most relaxed: It’s home to some of the highest ozone levels, some of the least affordable housing and seventh highest cost of living on our list—not to mention a 10.5% unemployment rate, giving its residents plenty to stress out about.

(Photo: Courtesy of University of California, San Diego)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
The Easiest And Hardest Cities For Finding A Job
America's Emptiest Cities

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#4 Washington, D... With a high cost of living and, along with Chicago, the number-one worst traffic congestion in the country, commuters lose 70 hours a year to traffic jams. It's clear that politics isn’t the only thing causing anxiety in our nation’s capitol. On the bright side, the metro area's unemployment rate is only 6.1%.

(Photo: Getty Images) More From Forbes:
America’s Hardest Working Cities
The Easiest And Hardest Cities For Finding A Job
America's Emptiest Cities

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#3 Chicago, Ill. Chicago has the worst traffic congestion in the country (along with Washington, D.C., which ties for first place), with its commuters spending a horrific 70 hours a year in backups. Plus, its unemployment rate is at 10.3% and it is the fourth most densely packed city in the nation—and we all know that claustrophobic conditions do not go well with anxiety.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#2 New York, N.... The city that never sleeps has plenty of reasons for insomnia: The least affordable housing stock in the U.S., the most extreme population density and the highest cost of living. At least its unemployment rate of 8.6% remains below the 9.1% national average.

(Photo:Getty Images)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
#1 Los Angeles, ... A slew of woes, both economic and environmental, could make residents curse the City of Angels: It has a whopping 12.3% unemployment rate, the country’s third least affordable housing and a high cost of living. On top of all that, L.A.’s got the highest ozone levels in the country and the third-worst traffic congestion in the U.S. At least one bright spot is the possibility of 266 sunny days a year.

(Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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America’s Hardest Working Cities
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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
More Stressful C... To see the five more most stressful cities, Mclick here.