Apparently WalletHub‘s new study has never heard of hustle culture! In a ranking of the hardest-working states in America, New York nearly placed dead last, incredulously branding New Yorkers as some of the least hard working people in the country.
A statistic from World Economic Forum details that the average American puts in 1,805 hours of work per year—470 hours more than Germans.
Furthermore, Americans are notorious for choosing work over paid time off, with 33% of Americans leaving their PTO unused in 2023. This could stem from the cultural fear of falling behind, concern that workflow will halt without them, or worry that they won’t appear dedicated to their peers or boss.
To determine the hardest working states across America, WalletHub took a look at each state against 10 key metrics, spanning everything from the average workweek hours to share of workers with multiple jobs.
Map of the hardest-working states in the U.S.
Top 25 hardest-working states in the U.S.
- North Dakota
- Alaska
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Hawaii
- Virginia
- New Hampshire
- Wyoming
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Colorado
- Montana
- Mississippi
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Alabama
- Maine
- Vermont
- Arizona
- Utah
- Wisconsin
You may have noticed that New York didn’t even make it into the top 25! Guess what—we didn’t make it into the top 45 either. New York ranked as the 46th hardest-working state in America, only surpassing Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Michigan.
Instead, North Dakota claimed the number one spot as the hardest working state in the U.S. Not only does it have the third-highest employment rate in the country (~98%), employees work an average of 39.6 hours per week (the fourth highest in the country).
WalletHub Analyst, Chip Lupo, added:
It’s undeniable that America has fostered a culture of hard work, with people working longer hours than residents of other developed countries and often leaving vacation time on the table. Working hard is commendable, but people in the hardest-working states may need to consider taking a break once in a while, as a lack of leisure time can have a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health.
See the full study for yourself on WalletHub.