Study: 2023’s Hardest-Working States in America

Wednesday, September 20th, 2023

With Americans working an average of over 1,800 hours per year and having left 55% of their PTO unused last year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Hardest-Working States in America, as well as expert commentary.

In order to determine where Americans work the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states across ten key metrics. The data set ranges from average workweek hours to share of workers with multiple jobs to annual volunteer hours per resident.

Top 20 Hardest-Working States in America

1. North Dakota

11. Maryland

2. Alaska

12. Iowa

3. South Dakota

13. Georgia

4. Nebraska

14. Oklahoma

5. Wyoming

15. New Hampshire

6. Texas

16. Tennessee

7. Virginia

17. Idaho

8. Colorado

18. Missouri

9. Kansas

19. Mississippi

10. Hawaii

20. Louisiana


Key Stats 

  • Alaska has the longest hours worked per week, 41, which is 11 percent longer than in Utah, the state with the shortest at 37. 

  • New York has the longest average commute time, 33 minutes, which is 1.8 times longer than in South Dakota, the state with the shortest at 18 minutes. 

  • Mississippi has the highest share of workers leaving vacation time unused, 34.70 percent, which is 1.6 times higher than in Ohio, the state with the lowest at 21.90 percent. 

  • Montana has the highest share of workers with multiple jobs, 8.00 percent, which is 2.4 times higher than in Florida, the state with the lowest at 3.30 percent.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit: 
https://wallethub.com/edu/hardest-working-states-in-america/52400