Map Shows Hardest Working States

A robust work ethic is deeply ingrained in U.S. culture and is a prominent aspect of the American dream.

Newsweek has mapped which states most strongly embody these ideals, according to a recent analysis conducted by WalletHub.

Though “who works the hardest” is a subjective and debatable topic, and a positive work-life balance is important, the report compared all 50 U.S. states across 10 indicators, which included average workweek hours, the share of a state’s workers with multiple jobs, and average daily leisure time.

States were also compared across two dimensions – “direct” and “indirect” work factors.

Direct work factors included measures such as employment rate, workweek hours, and the share of workers leaving vacation time unused.

Indirect factors included average commute times, share of workers with more than one job, and the annual volunteer hours per resident.

The report drew on several sources to reach its conclusions, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Gallup.

According to the study, the 10 hardest working states in America were:

1. North Dakota
2. Alaska
3. Nebraska
4. Wyoming
5. South Dakota
6. Maryland
7. Texas
8. Colorado
9. New Hampshire
10. Kansas

The report crowned North Dakota as the country’s hardest working state, citing a high employment rate of more than 98 percent in the Roughrider State.

North Dakota also had the third highest number of work hours per week at 39.7 on average, and one third (33.5 percent) of North Dakotan workers left some vacation time unused.

Coming in second was Alaska, with the highest average hours worked at 41.6 hours a week. According to the report, it was the only state to exceed 40 hours.

In addition, more than a quarter (27.5 percent) of Alaskans left some vacation time unused, and the state also ranked highly in terms of workers with multiple jobs.

Nebraska ranked third on the list. The state had the third-highest percentage of workers with more than one job – 7.4 percent, and the fifth-highest volunteer hours per capita in the U.S.

With regards to the issue of second jobs, the report had this to say:

“Although this may not be an ideal situation, indicating that people’s main jobs are not paying them enough, it’s still a testament to how hard Nebraska residents are willing to work.”

On the other hand, the least hard-working states, per the report, were:

1. West Virginia
2. New York
3. Michigan
4. New Mexico
5. Connecticut
6. Nevada
7. Rhode Island
8. New Jersey
9. Ohio
10. Oregon

“Job conditions in the U. S. are indeed evolving, but whether they are on the rise is a matter of perspective. On one hand, there is a growing emphasis on creating safer work environments to reduce injuries, particularly in sectors like construction where hazards are inherent,” said economics professor at Boston College, Can Erbil, in the WalletHub report.

“This is coupled with the increasing adoption of technology, such as tele-health and telemedicine, which can expedite the recovery of injured employees and reduce associated costs.

“However, the rise of the gig economy, where workers traditionally lack workers’ compensation, presents new challenges,” he said. “Additionally, there are concerns about legislation reducing workers’ compensation benefits, even as some states are extending benefits for issues like COVID infection and opioid addiction.”

Interested to see other ways America’s states compare? Newsweek has previously mapped which states have the best education systems.

Newsweek has also mapped which states have the longest life expectancy.

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