Newark Tops List of U.S. Cities Worst for Sleep, Study Finds
Analysis of noise, light and anxiety ranked 97 populous U.S. cities; New York City places among the 15 worst
Newark, New Jersey, has been ranked the worst city in the United States for getting a good night’s sleep, according to a new index that measured noise pollution, light pollution and anxiety levels across 97 of the country’s most populated cities.
Researchers who compiled the index assigned each city a score out of 100 and placed Newark at the bottom with a score of 16. The city’s low ranking was driven in part by what the study identified as the nation’s highest average noise pollution levels and the fourth-highest light pollution levels among the sampled cities.
The study was commissioned by Mood, a federally legal cannabis retailer, and relied on three primary data sources: noise pollution figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation, light pollution measurements from the Earth Observation Group and anxiety severity data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators combined those measures into a composite sleep index intended to reflect environmental and mental-health factors that can affect sleep quality.
"Newark’s low score is, in part, due to the worst average noise pollution levels and fourth worst light pollution levels in the study," David Charles, co-founder of Mood, said in a statement accompanying the report. Charles noted that Newark is a major transportation hub for the New York City metropolitan area, with Newark Liberty International Airport among the busiest in the country and multiple major highways running through the city limits.
Other cities in the study that ranked poorly for sleep included Jersey City, New Jersey, which received a sleep index score of 37.4 and was listed among the six worst cities. Washington, D.C., Denver, Colorado, Boston, Massachusetts, and Long Beach, California, were also named among the top 10 worst locations for sleep. New York City was placed in the top 15 worst cities with a score of 42.6.
By contrast, the three highest-ranked — that is, best — cities for sleep were Lincoln, Nebraska; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chesapeake, Virginia. The analysis found that cities with lower levels of excess noise, light and anxiety tended to score better, reflecting a broader pattern in which less densely populated or more suburban communities corresponded with higher sleep-index values.
The report’s authors said the findings underscore the role of the built environment and broader community conditions in shaping residents’ sleep. "Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and overall mental wellbeing," Charles said. He added that an optimal sleeping environment is typically quiet, dark and cool, and that there are limits to how much an individual can control sleep conditions if they live in a noisy or brightly lit neighborhood.
Public-health experts say insufficient sleep is linked to a range of adverse outcomes, including impaired cognitive function, higher risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and poorer mental-health outcomes. The study’s inclusion of anxiety severity alongside physical environmental measures reflects growing attention among researchers to the combined effects of stress and external disruption on sleep health.
The report analyzed data for 97 cities to produce a comparative ranking but did not propose specific policy remedies. Local officials in cities with low scores can consider measures such as noise ordinances, improved lighting design standards and airport or traffic mitigation efforts, while individuals in affected areas may be advised to employ blackout shades, sound machines or other measures to reduce in-home light and noise exposure.
The authors caution that while environmental modifications can improve conditions for sleep, systemic factors such as transportation infrastructure and urban density play a substantial role in shaping an area’s noise and light profiles. The study provides a cross-sectional snapshot intended to highlight where residents may be more likely to experience disrupted sleep, and to encourage further research and local action to address sleep-disrupting conditions.