Mapped: U.S. States That Work the Hardest

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 FactorsWeightPointsWallethub Definitions

Average Workweek
HoursTriple Weight36.9N/A

Employment RateFull Weight12.3Employed 16+ civilian
population / Total 16+
civilian population in
labor force.

Share of Households
Where No Adults
WorkFull Weight12.3N/A

Share of Workers
Leaving Vacation
Time UnusedHalf Weight6.2N/A

Share of Engaged
WorkersHalf Weight6.2Share of employees
who are “involved in,
enthusiastic about
and committed to
their work and
workplace.”

Idle-YouthHalf Weight6.2Rate 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 FactorsWeightPointsWallethub Definitions

Average Commute TimeFull Weight5.0N/A

Share of Workers
with Multiple JobsFull Weight5.0Employed population
with multiple jobs /
Total employed
population.

Annual Volunteer
Hours per ResidentFull Weight5.0N/A

Average Leisure
Time Spent per DayFull Weight5.0N/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 RankStateState CodeTotal Score

1North DakotaND67

2AlaskaAK64

3NebraskaNE60

4WyomingWY60

5South DakotaSD60

6MarylandMD58

7TexasTX57

8ColoradoCO55

9New HampshireNH54

10KansasKS53

11VirginiaVA52

12OklahomaOK52

13GeorgiaGA52

14HawaiiHI51

15TennesseeTN49

16MississippiMS49

17IowaIA48

18AlabamaAL47

19LouisianaLA47

20MissouriMO46

21MinnesotaMN46

22MaineME46

23North CarolinaNC45

24IndianaIN45

25MontanaMT44

26South CarolinaSC44

27IdahoID44

28UtahUT44

29ArkansasAR43

30FloridaFL43

31VermontVT43

32ArizonaAZ41

33WisconsinWI41

34PennsylvaniaPA40

35WashingtonWA40

36DelawareDE40

37KentuckyKY40

38MassachusettsMA39

39CaliforniaCA38

40IllinoisIL38

41OregonOR38

42OhioOH37

43New JerseyNJ37

44Rhode IslandRI37

45NevadaNV37

46ConnecticutCT37

47New MexicoNM35

48MichiganMI34

49New YorkNY34

50West VirginiaWV32

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 RankStateDirect Work
Factors RankIndirect Work
Factors Rank

1North Dakota141

2Alaska234

3Nebraska55

4Wyoming62

5South Dakota326

6Maryland74

7Texas431

8Colorado97

9New Hampshire129

10Kansas1025

11Virginia1612

12Oklahoma844

13Georgia1132

14Hawaii1429

15Tennessee1536

16Mississippi1346

17Iowa1824

18Alabama1748

19Louisiana1938

20Missouri2420

21Minnesota268

22Maine331

23North Carolina2330

24Indiana2528

25Montana2722

26South Carolina2142

27Idaho306

28Utah353

29Arkansas2050

30Florida2247

31Vermont3114

32Arizona2839

33Wisconsin2940

34Pennsylvania3616

35Washington3913

36Delaware3237

37Kentucky3435

38Massachusetts4015

39California3727

40Illinois4219

41Oregon4610

42Ohio4321

43New Jersey4517

44Rhode Island4423

45Nevada3843

46Connecticut4911

47New Mexico4145

48Michigan4833

49New York5018

50West Virginia4749

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.