Survey shows Seattle ranks No. 1 depressed metro area in U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new survey found that in the first two weeks of February, about 45 percent of U.S. Seattle-area adults were dealing with feelings of depression, ranking No. 1 in the country, according to a report by The Seattle Times on Monday.

Of more than 3 million people aged 18 and older in the metro area, an estimated 1.4 million were feeling "down, depressed, or hopeless," the survey showed.

The data came from the U.S. Census Bureau's ongoing Household Pulse Survey, a national survey that includes 15 largest metro areas.

In three of the five most recent Household Pulse surveys, Seattle ranked No. 1, with the percentage of adults having feelings of depression ranging from 41 percent to 48 percent.

Among the 15 metro areas, Dallas was the lowest, with about 33 percent of adults experiencing feelings of depression in the past two weeks.

The survey also found that 45 percent of Seattle-area adults felt little interest or pleasure in doing things for at least several days over the previous two weeks. That also ranked No. 1 among the metros, the report said.

The Household Pulse Survey is an experimental product of the U.S. Census Bureau, in conjunction with other federal agencies. The survey provides near-real-time data. The program was initiated in 2020 in response to the pandemic. It was intended to help inform officials and policymakers about the impacts of the pandemic on communities across the country, and to provide data to aid in a post-pandemic recovery.

In the Seattle area, the rates of feelings of depression were somewhat higher for women than men (49 percent vs. 42 percent) and much higher for people who had never been married than people who were currently married (61 percent vs. 36 percent). The rates were also significantly higher for people under 30 at 64 percent, and for those with a household income of less than 35,000 U.S. dollars at 69 percent.

Asian people had a lower rate than other racial groups, with 33 percent saying they had feelings of depression for at least several days in the previous two weeks.