BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — In order to analyze the rates of seasonal depression in the states, QuoteWizard looked over Google searches from November 15, 2017, through the same day in 2022 to determine which cities and states have the largest number of individuals concerned about it. Search terms reviewed include ‘seasonal depression’, ‘winter blues’, and ‘seasonal affective disorder’. All rankings were determined by combining index scores for each topic into an overall index average score.
While full detailed data on every state isn’t accessible at the moment, the site was able to identify a few jarring trends — especially when it comes to the northern states. In general, while southern states also faced their own issues with seasonal depression, those of us living in the cold north appear to be much more likely to develop the issue. Even a quick look shows that plenty of the more northern parts and cities of the United States search for seasonal depression far more than the rest of the country. Here are a few tables listing the top ten states and cities in the US with the highest recorded number of searches for the condition.
| State | Rank | Search Index Average |
| Alaska | 1 | 96 |
| Vermont | 2 | 86 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | 83 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 77 |
| Maine | 5 | 74 |
| Utah | 6 | 72 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 72 |
| Iowa | 8 | 71 |
| North Dakota | 9 | 69 |
| Oregon | 10 | 69 |
| City | Rank | Search Index Average |
| Burlington, Vermont | 1 | 81 |
| Fargo, North Dakota | 2 | 81 |
| Springfield, Masachussetts | 3 | 81 |
| Idaho Falls, Idaho | 4 | 70 |
| Syracuse, New York | 5 | 68 |
| Lansing, Michigan | 6 | 67 |
| Davenport, Iowa | 7 | 66 |
| Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 8 | 65 |
| Madison, Wisconsin | 9 | 64 |
| La Crosse, Wisconsin | 10 | 64 |
When looking at the list of cities with the most seasonal depression, in particular, disturbing trends pop up: every single one of them is in the northern half of the country. In fact, southern cities don’t even pop up on the list until number 67 (Santa Barbara, California). It was also noted that searches for seasonal depression typically begin in August and peak in late November/early December.
Fortunately, despite the downtrodden feelings many of us suffer, there are plenty of resources to help melt away the condition. Many work health insurance plans cover some form of mental health services, so be sure to ask your employer about them if you begin to experience thoughts of seasonal depression. Here are a few more useful links for those who may be dealing with depression or other mental health issues.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Contact available at 1-866-615-6464 or the NIMH Website.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Contact available at 1-800-662-4357 or the SAMHSA Website.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Contact available at 1-800-950-6264 or info@nami.org.
To learn more about the causes and symptoms of seasonal depression, visit the Mayo Clinic’s website here, or this page on the site of John Hopkins Medicine. The full QuoteWizard study is available on this page.
