Residents of rural areas in the United States tend to enjoy better mental health than their urban counterparts, according to the Daily Yonder.
Researchers who studied mental health data gathered by the County Health Rankings found that peak mental health is typically found in rural areas that are near an urban center, while the urban centers tended to have the poorest mental health.
At the same time, much of South Dakota and the Upper Great Plains reported some of the nation's best mental health.
In the Black Hills, Custer County residents report being the least happy, with four poor mental health days per month per capita, while Meade, Lawrence and Butte counties report being the most happy, with 2.7 or fewer poor mental health days per month per capita.
In South Dakota, only Lake County residents reported mental health in the poorest category. They reported 4.4 poor mental health days per month, on average per capita. That is just enough to push Lake County in the worst category, which ranges from 4.4 to more than 10 poor mental health days per month.
