While Montana continues to have the highest suicide rate in the country, a new study from Insurance Providers reveals Billings is one of the least depressed small cities in America.

The study compiled data from the CDC's SMART survey, along with U.S. Census Bureau data on diability, marriage status, income, and poverty rates for 123 metro areas.

According to the study, Billings had a depression rate of 19.9 percent. That's compared to Evansville, Indiana, that had the highest depression rate in the study, with 29.8 percent.

Here's a summary of the data for the Billings area:

  • Share of adults ever diagnosed with depression: 19.9%
  • Share of adults who are obese (BMI 30.0 - 99.8): 25.7%
  • Share of total population with a disability: 11.9%
  • Mean household income: $77,523
  • Share of total population below poverty level: 9.7%

The 5 Cities with the HIGHEST rates of depression, according to the study:

  1. Evansville, IN-KY (29.8)
  2. Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA (29.7)
  3. Charleston, WV (28.4)
  4. Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (28)
  5. Tuscaloosa, AL (26.3)

The 5 Cities with the LOWEST rates of depression:

  1. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
  2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
  3. College Station-Bryan, TX
  4. New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ
  5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

The number of Americans diagnosed with depression has been on the rise over the past few years, with an increase of 17.8 percent between 2016 and 2017 alone. Unfortunately, this may underestimate the problem, since more than half of those with a mental illness receive no treatment. -Insurance Providers Report

To see the complete study of Best and Worst Cities for Depression, CLICK HERE.

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