US /

In This State, Hard Work Is the Way

You'll find a lot of conscientious workers in Texas, per WalletHub
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 25, 2025 4:08 PM CST
The Hardest-Working US Cities
Anchorage, Alaska.   (Getty/Jacob Boomsma)

It's kind of an incredible statistic: American workers punch the clock for an average of 1,799 hours a year. That beats out Japan by 188 hours, the UK by 275 hours, and lucky Germans by 456 hours. WalletHub took a look at the 116 largest US cities to see where workers were really punching the clock hard, and where they maybe weren't so much. The survey examined 11 metrics in two general categories—direct work factors (including average workweek hours, employment rate, workers leaving paid vacation on the table, etc.) and indirect work factors (commute times, workers with more than one job, average leisure time per day, and the like). Without further ado, the top and bottom 10 cities and their overall score:

The 10 hardest-working cities

  1. Anchorage, Alaska, 80.15
  2. Washington, DC, 77.94
  3. Irving, Texas, 76.82
  4. Dallas, 75.55
  5. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 75.50
  6. Austin, Texas, 74.69
  7. Denver, 74.25
  8. Virginia Beach, Virginia, 73.71
  9. San Francisco, 73.65
  10. Arlington, Texas, 73.19

The 10 least hard-working cities

  1. Columbia, South Carolina, 50.55
  2. Fresno, California, 50.28
  3. Providence, Rhode Island, 49.96
  4. Cleveland, 49.63
  5. Toledo, Ohio, 48.36
  6. Bridgeport, Connecticut, 48.28
  7. Newark, New Jersey, 44.13
  8. Buffalo, New York, 40.82
  9. Detroit, 40.73
  10. Burlington, Vermont, 34.48
(More lists stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X