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Mapped: U.S. States That Work the Hardest

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Mapped: The U.S. States That Work the Hardest

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This map shows the U.S. states that work the hardest, as scored out of 100 by a Wallethub study conducted in July 2024.

Naturally trying to measure and compare “hard-work” requires a little bit of data analysis.

How Is Hard Work Quantified?

Here’s what Wallethub did. First they analyzed all states on 10 indicators and assigned them different weights.

These indicators are then divided into two categories. The main one, “Direct Work” contributes 80 points to the total score.

Direct Work Factors Weight Points Wallethub Definitions
Average Workweek
Hours		 Triple Weight 36.9 N/A
Employment Rate Full Weight 12.3 Employed 16+ civilian
population / Total 16+
civilian population in
labor force.
Share of Households
Where No Adults
Work		 Full Weight 12.3 N/A
Share of Workers
Leaving Vacation
Time Unused		 Half Weight 6.2 N/A
Share of Engaged
Workers		 Half Weight 6.2 Share of employees
who are “involved in,
enthusiastic about
and committed to
their work and
workplace.”
Idle-Youth Half Weight 6.2 Rate of 18-24
residents not in
school, or working
and no degree
beyond a high school
diploma.

Meanwhile, “Indirect Work” indicators help the state achieve the last 20 points.

Indirect Work Factors Weight Points Wallethub Definitions
Average Commute Time Full Weight 5.0 N/A
Share of Workers
with Multiple Jobs		 Full Weight 5.0 Employed population
with multiple jobs /
Total employed
population.
Annual Volunteer
Hours per Resident		 Full Weight 5.0 N/A
Average Leisure
Time Spent per Day		 Full Weight 5.0 N/A

Clearly, states that score better on higher-weighted indicators end up with a higher overall score, as seen below.

Ranked: America’s Hardest-Working States

Wallethub states North Dakota is the hardest-working American state, giving it a rounded score of 67/100. The state’s 98% employment rate helped in securing first place.

Overall Rank State State Code Total Score
1 North Dakota ND 67
2 Alaska AK 64
3 Nebraska NE 60
4 Wyoming WY 60
5 South Dakota SD 60
6 Maryland MD 58
7 Texas TX 57
8 Colorado CO 55
9 New Hampshire NH 54
10 Kansas KS 53
11 Virginia VA 52
12 Oklahoma OK 52
13 Georgia GA 52
14 Hawaii HI 51
15 Tennessee TN 49
16 Mississippi MS 49
17 Iowa IA 48
18 Alabama AL 47
19 Louisiana LA 47
20 Missouri MO 46
21 Minnesota MN 46
22 Maine ME 46
23 North Carolina NC 45
24 Indiana IN 45
25 Montana MT 44
26 South Carolina SC 44
27 Idaho ID 44
28 Utah UT 44
29 Arkansas AR 43
30 Florida FL 43
31 Vermont VT 43
32 Arizona AZ 41
33 Wisconsin WI 41
34 Pennsylvania PA 40
35 Washington WA 40
36 Delaware DE 40
37 Kentucky KY 40
38 Massachusetts MA 39
39 California CA 38
40 Illinois IL 38
41 Oregon OR 38
42 Ohio OH 37
43 New Jersey NJ 37
44 Rhode Island RI 37
45 Nevada NV 37
46 Connecticut CT 37
47 New Mexico NM 35
48 Michigan MI 34
49 New York NY 34
50 West Virginia WV 32

Note: Figures rounded.

Meanwhile, Alaska ranks second with 64 points, due to its average workweek crossing 41 hours. It’s the only state in the study which crossed the standard 40-hour metric.

And Nebraska comes in third with 60 points. Wallethub states that more than 7% of its workforce has multiple jobs, the third-highest of all states.

A quick overview of the map reveals that the strip of states in the center of the country are the hardest-working, with scores falling as one moves east and west respectively. Interestingly this is also America’s farming country, a demanding sector that requires long hours.

Another interesting phenomenon is how Alaska and North Dakota have high direct work ranks but are bottom of the pack for indirect work.

Overall Rank State Direct Work
Factors Rank		 Indirect Work
Factors Rank
1 North Dakota 1 41
2 Alaska 2 34
3 Nebraska 5 5
4 Wyoming 6 2
5 South Dakota 3 26
6 Maryland 7 4
7 Texas 4 31
8 Colorado 9 7
9 New Hampshire 12 9
10 Kansas 10 25
11 Virginia 16 12
12 Oklahoma 8 44
13 Georgia 11 32
14 Hawaii 14 29
15 Tennessee 15 36
16 Mississippi 13 46
17 Iowa 18 24
18 Alabama 17 48
19 Louisiana 19 38
20 Missouri 24 20
21 Minnesota 26 8
22 Maine 33 1
23 North Carolina 23 30
24 Indiana 25 28
25 Montana 27 22
26 South Carolina 21 42
27 Idaho 30 6
28 Utah 35 3
29 Arkansas 20 50
30 Florida 22 47
31 Vermont 31 14
32 Arizona 28 39
33 Wisconsin 29 40
34 Pennsylvania 36 16
35 Washington 39 13
36 Delaware 32 37
37 Kentucky 34 35
38 Massachusetts 40 15
39 California 37 27
40 Illinois 42 19
41 Oregon 46 10
42 Ohio 43 21
43 New Jersey 45 17
44 Rhode Island 44 23
45 Nevada 38 43
46 Connecticut 49 11
47 New Mexico 41 45
48 Michigan 48 33
49 New York 50 18
50 West Virginia 47 49

However, Nebraska performs equally well in both categories. The Cornhusker state has a low share of idle-youth, and has the fifth-highest volunteer hours per capita in the country.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Interestingly, many of America’s hardest-working states have much lower cost of living requirements. See how the data shakes out in The Income an Individual Needs to Live Comfortably in the States.

The post Mapped: U.S. States That Work the Hardest appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Source
America