2021’s hardest-working states in America

Americans are hard workers, putting in an average of 1,767 hours per year as of 2021, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s 435 hours per year more than Germans work, but 357 fewer than Mexicans do.

Even when given the chance to not work as hard, many Americans won’t. Americans only use about half of their vacation days in a typical year, but forfeited even more than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from the pandemic, there are plenty of reasons why workers leave paid time off on the table. Some workers fear that if they take time off they will look less dedicated to the job than other employees, risking a layoff. Others worry about falling behind on their work or are concerned that the normal workflow will not be able to function without them.

It is possible to work hard without overdoing it, though. Hard work is key to success, and the people of some states understand that better than others. To determine where Americans work the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 10 key indicators. They range from average workweek hours to share of workers with multiple jobs to annual volunteer hours per resident.Table of ContentsMain Findings Ask the Experts Methodology

Hardest-Working States in the U.S.

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Direct Work Factors	Indirect Work Factors
1	Alaska	68.63	2	2
2	North Dakota	68.26	1	37
3	Nebraska	60.45	3	10
4	South Dakota	56.81	4	31
5	Texas	55.83	5	33
6	Wyoming	55.71	7	19
7	Oklahoma	54.92	6	28
8	Virginia	53.66	10	6
9	New Hampshire	52.77	11	12
10	Kansas	51.78	8	36
11	Maryland	51.12	15	3
12	Georgia	50.65	9	39
13	Colorado	49.89	14	15
14	Utah	48.77	29	1
15	Tennessee	48.06	12	41
16	Minnesota	46.68	25	5
17	North Carolina	46.26	19	26
18	Indiana	46.10	20	20
19	Iowa	45.68	17	35
20	Alabama	45.27	13	49
21	Idaho	44.43	26	16
22	Hawaii	44.24	28	14
23	Wisconsin	43.88	30	8
24	Kentucky	43.67	23	34
25	Arkansas	43.67	16	48
26	Louisiana	43.50	21	43
27	Montana	43.32	31	11
28	Vermont	43.30	27	24
29	Missouri	43.23	24	32
30	South Carolina	42.81	22	42
31	Washington	41.75	33	9
32	Maine	41.28	35	7
33	Mississippi	41.22	18	50
34	Delaware	40.17	34	17
35	Florida	37.92	32	45
36	Arizona	37.86	36	21
37	Pennsylvania	37.57	41	13
38	Ohio	36.71	39	23
39	California	36.05	38	30
40	Nevada	35.72	37	40
41	Massachusetts	35.40	44	18
42	New Jersey	35.38	42	25
43	Illinois	34.69	43	27
44	Oregon	34.27	49	4
45	Michigan	33.49	40	44
46	Rhode Island	31.07	47	38
47	Connecticut	30.87	50	22
48	New York	30.60	48	29
49	West Virginia	30.11	45	47
50	New Mexico	29.53	46	46

*1=Hardest Working

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Methodology

In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions: “Direct Work Factors” and “Indirect Work Factors.”

We evaluated those dimensions using ten key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “hardest-working.”

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Direct Work Factors – Total Points: 80

Average Workweek Hours: Triple Weight (~36.92 Points)
Employment Rate: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as follows: civilian population aged 16 and over employed / total civilian population aged 16 and over in labor force.
Share of Households where No Adults Work: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)
Share of Workers Leaving Vacation Time Unused: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
Share of Engaged Workers: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of employees who are “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace,” as defined by Gallup.
Idle Youth (18-24) Rate: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures the rate of residents aged 18-24 who are not currently enrolled in school, not working and have no degree beyond a high school diploma or GED.

Indirect Work Factors – Total Points: 20

Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Share of Workers with Multiple Jobs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as share of employed population with multiple jobs among total employed population.
Annual Volunteer Hours per Resident: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Corporation for National & Community Service.

This article is from WalletHub.