As the year draws to a close, many Utah residents find that the holiday season brings little sense of ease. Instead, it can heighten the very pressures that define daily life — rising living costs, housing challenges, caregiving responsibilities, demanding work schedules and ongoing anxiety. For many families, these stressors don’t fade during the holidays; they grow heavier.
Nationally, new findings from The Cigna Group’s “Rise of the Anxious Worker” report show that nearly one-third of U.S. workers experience anxiety. While this trend spans the country, many workers in Utah face added pressures tied to rapid population growth, housing affordability concerns and increasing financial strain — realities that make the holidays feel less like a break and more like another hurdle.
A growing city where costs add up
Utah’s growth has brought opportunity but also rising costs. Salt Lake City’s cost of living exceeds the national average, with housing costs in particular placing strain on working families. According to the Salt Lake City Housing SLC plan, nearly half of all renters in Salt Lake City are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing — a level considered financially burdensome.
For households already operating on tight budgets, seasonal expenses such as travel, gifts, child care disruptions and higher utility bills can quickly become overwhelming. Surveys of Utah residents consistently show that food and housing costs rank among their top financial concerns, even for families with full-time employment.
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Food insecurity remains a significant challenge across the nation. Feeding America estimates that more than 13% of U.S. households, including many families with children, experience food insecurity, meaning they lack consistent access to adequate food. These realities highlight a central truth: For many local families, holiday stress is not a temporary spike but a continuation of year-round financial pressure.
Mental health pressures continue to rise
Financial strain often goes hand in hand with emotional stress. Across Utah, more residents report frequent anxiety and psychological distress than they did just a few years ago. The most recent data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services shows that 26.1% of adults at some point have been told by a health care professional that they have a depressive disorder. Public health data also show that Utah adults experience a high number of poor mental health days each month, underscoring the emotional toll of economic and social pressures.
Younger workers — particularly millennials and Gen Z — face compounded challenges, from high entry-level rents to student loan obligations and less predictable work schedules. When job demands collide with family expectations and holiday obligations, stress can escalate quickly, sometimes leading to burnout.
These challenges do not stay at home; they show up in the workplace. According to Cigna’s national research:
- Workers with diagnosed anxiety account for $13.9 billion annually in medical, behavioral and pharmacy costs.
- 80% of workers experiencing anxiety know which accommodations would help them.
- Only 20% of workers feel comfortable asking for those accommodations.
For Utah employers — particularly in health care, technology, education, hospitality and skilled trades — this gap represents an important opportunity to better support employees during the holiday season and beyond.
Practical steps employers can take now
While the pressures facing workers are complex, there are practical steps employers can take to help:
- Offer flexible scheduling, especially for caregivers and employees managing financial or mental health challenges.
- Minimize unnecessary last-minute deadlines in late December.
- Encourage employees to take meaningful time off, with clear permission to unplug.
- Normalize conversations about mental health to reduce stigma and fear around asking for help.
- Connect employees to accessible mental health resources, including digital tools that lower barriers to care.
Holiday stress is not just about busy calendars or long to-do lists. In Utah, it reflects deeper realities: rising living costs, housing pressures and a workforce balancing demanding jobs with demanding lives.
When employers prioritize flexibility and mental health, especially during high-stress periods like the holidays, they create workplaces that are not only more compassionate but also more resilient. That support can help workers across Utah enter the new year feeling healthier and more engaged.
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