Americans are hard workers, putting in an average of 1,799 hours per year, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s 456 hours per year more than Germans work, but 408 fewer than Mexicans do, for example.
Even when given the chance to not work as hard, many Americans won’t, as only 48% of workers use all of their vacation days. It is possible to work hard without overdoing it, though. Hard work is key to success, and the residents of some states understand that better than others.
To determine where Americans work the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 10 key indicators. They range from average workweek hours to the share of workers with multiple jobs to the average leisure time spent per day.
Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst
Main Findings
Hardest-Working States in the U.S.
Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Direct Work Factors Rank | Indirect Work Factors Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | North Dakota | 66.54 | 1 | 41 |
2 | Alaska | 63.55 | 2 | 34 |
3 | Nebraska | 59.97 | 5 | 5 |
4 | Wyoming | 59.92 | 6 | 2 |
5 | South Dakota | 59.69 | 3 | 26 |
6 | Maryland | 57.53 | 7 | 4 |
7 | Texas | 56.86 | 4 | 31 |
8 | Colorado | 55.13 | 9 | 7 |
9 | New Hampshire | 54.20 | 12 | 9 |
10 | Kansas | 52.63 | 10 | 25 |
11 | Virginia | 52.40 | 16 | 12 |
12 | Oklahoma | 51.62 | 8 | 44 |
13 | Georgia | 51.50 | 11 | 32 |
14 | Hawaii | 50.66 | 14 | 29 |
15 | Tennessee | 49.39 | 15 | 36 |
16 | Mississippi | 49.30 | 13 | 46 |
17 | Iowa | 48.39 | 18 | 24 |
18 | Alabama | 47.00 | 17 | 48 |
19 | Louisiana | 46.62 | 19 | 38 |
20 | Missouri | 46.34 | 24 | 20 |
21 | Minnesota | 46.02 | 26 | 8 |
22 | Maine | 45.64 | 33 | 1 |
23 | North Carolina | 45.11 | 23 | 30 |
24 | Indiana | 44.51 | 25 | 28 |
25 | Montana | 44.42 | 27 | 22 |
26 | South Carolina | 44.27 | 21 | 42 |
27 | Idaho | 44.21 | 30 | 6 |
28 | Utah | 44.01 | 35 | 3 |
29 | Arkansas | 43.01 | 20 | 50 |
30 | Florida | 42.86 | 22 | 47 |
31 | Vermont | 42.66 | 31 | 14 |
32 | Arizona | 41.04 | 28 | 39 |
33 | Wisconsin | 40.53 | 29 | 40 |
34 | Pennsylvania | 40.20 | 36 | 16 |
35 | Washington | 40.18 | 39 | 13 |
36 | Delaware | 39.69 | 32 | 37 |
37 | Kentucky | 39.51 | 34 | 35 |
38 | Massachusetts | 39.03 | 40 | 15 |
39 | California | 38.31 | 37 | 27 |
40 | Illinois | 38.03 | 42 | 19 |
41 | Oregon | 37.82 | 46 | 10 |
42 | Ohio | 37.36 | 43 | 21 |
43 | New Jersey | 37.13 | 45 | 17 |
44 | Rhode Island | 36.89 | 44 | 23 |
45 | Nevada | 36.77 | 38 | 43 |
46 | Connecticut | 36.74 | 49 | 11 |
47 | New Mexico | 35.18 | 41 | 45 |
48 | Michigan | 34.11 | 48 | 33 |
49 | New York | 33.72 | 50 | 18 |
50 | West Virginia | 31.74 | 47 | 49 |
Notes: *No. 1 = Hardest Working
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
- Highest
- 1. Alaska
- T-2. Texas
- T-2. Wyoming
- T-4. Louisiana
- T-4. North Dakota
- Lowest
- T-45. Connecticut
- T-45. Massachusetts
- 47. Oregon
- 48. Rhode Island
- 49. Vermont
- 50. Utah
- Highest
- 1. North Dakota
- 2. South Dakota
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Maryland
- 5. New Hampshire
- Lowest
- 46. New York
- 47. New Jersey
- 48. Illinois
- 49. California
- 50. Nevada
- Lowest
- 1. North Dakota
- 2. Nebraska
- T-3. Iowa
- T-3. Massachusetts
- T-3. Minnesota
- Highest
- T-46. Alaska
- T-46. Arkansas
- T-46. Nevada
- T-46. New Mexico
- 50. Louisiana
- Highest
- T-1. Utah
- T-1. Wyoming
- 3. Maine
- 4. Idaho
- 5. Nebraska
- Lowest
- 46. Texas
- 47. Georgia
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. Florida
- Lowest
- 1. Rhode Island
- 2. North Dakota
- T-3. Oregon
- T-3. Wyoming
- 5. Utah
- Highest
- 46. Maine
- 47. Kansas
- 48. Hawaii
- 49. West Virginia
- 50. Delaware
In-Depth Look at the Hardest-Working States
North Dakota
North Dakota is the hardest-working state, in part because it has the highest employment rate in the country, at over 98%. Plus, workers ages 16 to 64 work an average of 39.7 hours per week – the third-most in the country.
People in the Roughrider State don’t take a lot of time for themselves outside of work, either, as they have the second-lowest amount of leisure time per day. In addition, 33.5% of workers leave some vacation time unused, the second-highest percentage.
To top things off, both adults and young people stay busy in North Dakota. The state has the fifth-lowest share of households where no adults work, and the lowest share of people ages 18 to 24 with no degree beyond a high school diploma who are not in school and not working.
Alaska
Alaska has the second-hardest-working residents in the country. The average Alaskan worker between the ages of 16 and 64 works 41.6 hours per week, the highest number of hours in the country. This is significant because Alaska is the only state where the average exceeds 40 hours per week. For comparison, people in the District of Columbia work an average of 40.4 hours per week, but Alaska exceeds that by 1.2 hours.
In addition, Alaska has the 12th-highest share of workers who leave some vacation time unused, at 27.5%. It also has the ninth-highest share of workers who have more than one job and the 10th-lowest share of households where no adults work.
Nebraska
Nebraska ranks third among the hardest-working states, in part because 7.4% of workers have multiple jobs, the third-highest percentage in the country. 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.
In addition, Nebraska has the second-lowest share of “idle youth” – people ages 18 to 24 who are not in school, are not working and have no school experience beyond a high school diploma. This shows that young adults are actively trying to advance their education or career paths.
Finally, hard work hasn’t stopped Nebraskans from spending time helping others as well – residents have the fifth-highest volunteer hours per capita in the country.
Ask the Experts
The hard work ethic of Americans has brought about the creation of many successful businesses. But overworking can take a harsh toll on workers. For additional insight on both productivity and the condition of workers, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:
- In the current economic environment, do you believe wages will register a true increase or will people need to work extra or get a second job?
- What impact do you believe AI will have on the American worker?
- Do you believe job conditions are on the rise in the U.S.? What measures should authorities undertake in order to better protect workers?
- What are the main changes in the job market in 2024 and how will they impact employee engagement?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions: “Direct Work Factors” and “Indirect Work Factors.”
We evaluated those dimensions using ten key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “hardest-working.”
We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Direct Work Factors – Total Points: 80
- Average Workweek Hours: Triple Weight (~36.92 Points)
- Employment Rate: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as follows: civilian population aged 16 and over employed / total civilian population aged 16 and over in labor force. - Share of Households where No Adults Work: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)
- Share of Workers Leaving Vacation Time Unused: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
- Share of Engaged Workers: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of employees who are “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace,” as defined by Gallup. - Idle Youth (18-24) Rate: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures the rate of residents aged 18-24 who are not currently enrolled in school, not working and have no degree beyond a high school diploma or GED.
Indirect Work Factors – Total Points: 20
- Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Share of Workers with Multiple Jobs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as share of employed population with multiple jobs among total employed population. - Annual Volunteer Hours per Resident: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of July 29, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, The Annie E. Casey Foundation and AmeriCorps.
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