Oklahoma just landed in a Top 5 nobody is bragging about. A new national analysis has ranked the Sooner State among the most stressful places to live, pointing to high levels of depression and low physical activity as key culprits. The scorecard, built from public-health and survey data, gives Oklahoma a relatively high stress score and piles on to long-running debates over access to mental-health care and prevention programs.
Study Details And Numbers
The analysis, produced by Enclave BioActives, gave Oklahoma a score of 74.37 out of 100 and reported a physical inactivity rate of 27.7 percent, an adult depression rate of 26.1 percent and just 43.6 percent of adults describing their health as "very good" or "excellent," according to KOKH. Enclave says it built the ranking using measures from America’s Health Rankings and 2024 CDC data.
Where Oklahoma Landed
On Enclave’s top-10 list, West Virginia came in as the most stressful state, followed by Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana, with Oklahoma at No. 5 overall. The report also lists Mississippi, Alabama, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio as the next five states in the stress lineup, while New Jersey ranked near the bottom and Tennessee was left out for lack of sufficient data, per WTWO/AOL. In other words, Oklahoma is keeping some tense company.
What The Numbers Suggest
Authors of the analysis and Enclave representatives pointed to the mix of mental-health struggles and physical inactivity as a major driver of the rankings. "The data highlights a big regional divide," Enclave’s Dr. Gina Sam said, noting that higher rates of inactivity and depression can feed into each other and intensify overall stress levels, according to WTWO/AOL. The underlying message: these numbers are not just abstract statistics, they are connected problems playing out in daily life.
Broader Health Context
Broader public-health trackers paint a similar picture. America’s Health Rankings has documented rising levels of adult depression and distress in recent years, trends that help explain why multiple Southern and Appalachian states tend to crowd the top of stress lists. Those patterns, AHR analysts note, reflect gaps in access to mental-health services, a heavy burden of chronic disease and other social drivers of health, per America's Health Rankings.
Where To Get Help
For Oklahomans, the numbers might feel less like an abstract ranking and more like a mirror. Anyone in crisis can call or text 988 for immediate, confidential support from trained counselors; the state’s 988 hub and local providers can also connect people with longer-term care. For state resources and contacts, see 988 Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services' contact page at ODMHSAS.
Enclave BioActives’ ranking is still just a snapshot built from a handful of measurable indicators, not a full diagnosis of life in Oklahoma. Even so, the data gives local officials and residents another talking point, and one more nudge, to push for stronger mental-health access and community programs that make exercise and healthier habits easier to sustain.
