While some places in the world are implementing 4-day work weeks, over in NYC it seems like many of us are struggling to find time where we’re not working, so we can’t exactly hide our surprise when a ranking of the states with the best work/life balance was revealed and NY found its way towards the top.
The study, done by AI productivity platform Plus Docs, analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, looking at the average weekly hours worked (as well as average weekly earnings) in order to give each state a score for how good–or bad–that state’s work/life balance is.
And with a score of 43.98 out of 100, New York took the fourth spot on the list.
According to the data, New Yorkers take on the third-lowest weekly hours worked on average, at only 33.3. The only states where workers average less working hours per week than New Yorkers are Montana and Delaware, with 32.9 hours and 33 hours worked per week on average, respectively.
Additionally, New Yorkers were found to take home an average of $1,192.81 per week, trailing behind workers in Massachusetts, Washington, and California, who take home a weekly average pay of $1,329.02, $1,313.70, and $1,291.68, respectively.
To note, Massachusetts took the top spot on the list with a work/life balance score of 60.29 out of 100. Here, workers have the highest average weekly income–meaning the highest average hourly wages–and some of the lowest average weekly hours worked, working on average 33.8 hours per week.
The study states that, interestingly, across all states, the average person was found to work 34.25 hours per week, just under 7 hours a day for a 5-day work week. So who knows–maybe a 4-day work week actually could be in the cards for us New Yorkers!
As for the state with the worst work/life balance, Mississippi unfortunately takes that title, scoring a mere 0.19 out of 100. In Mississippi, the average person worked 34.6 hours a week and only earned $829.71 per week–equating to $23.98 per hour.