Fifty states, one invisible workload.
For many women, the pressures that shape mental wellbeing aren't confined to one part of life. Work, household running, childcare, caring for ageing relatives, and money worries stack into a mental load that's difficult to switch off. We have surveyed 3,004 women across the U.S. to map how heavily that load is being carried - and where in the country it's felt most.
Women who feel mentally overwhelmed, by state
Darker states indicate higher levels of reported overwhelm among women. Click any state to filter the table and see the estimated number affected.
States, ranked
Ranked by share of women reporting mental overwhelm, with the estimated number of women affected in each state. The table shows the top 10; use the filter to look up any state.
| Rank | State | Women who feel overwhelmed |
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Methodology: The study surveyed 3,004 women aged 18 and over across the United States in August 2026 via CherrySignals.com. Respondents were asked about the pressures contributing to their everyday mental load, including work, household responsibilities, childcare, caregiving and financial concerns. The survey also explored how often women feel overwhelmed, put other people’s needs ahead of their own, struggle to make time for themselves, or delay seeking mental health support because of competing demands. Responses were scored and aggregated to produce a Mental Load Score for each state, revealing where women feel most stretched and the pressures contributing to those differences. The survey sample was balanced across key demographic groups, including age and region, to provide a broad representation of adult women across the U.S.