Hardest-Working States in America (2025)

Americans are hard workers, putting in an average of 1,805 hours per year, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s 470 hours per year more than Germans work, but 447 fewer than Colombians do.

Even when given the chance to not work as hard, many Americans won’t. Americans left 33% of their paid time off unused in 2023. While leaving vacation time on the table may seem strange to some people, there are plenty of reasons why workers choose to do so. Some 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.

“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.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Hardest-Working States in the U.S.

Notes: *No. 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.

Average Workweek Hours

Highest

• 1. Alaska
• 2. Texas
• T-3. Louisiana
• T-3. Wyoming
• T-5. North Dakota
• T-5. Mississippi

Lowest

• T-43. California
• T-43. Connecticut
• T-47. Rhode Island
• T-47. Oregon
• 49. Vermont
• 50. Utah

Employment Rate

Highest

• 1. South Dakota
• 2. Vermont
• 3. North Dakota
• 4. New Hampshire
• 5. Nebraska

Lowest

• 46. Michigan
• 47. Illinois
• 48. Kentucky
• 49. California
• 50. Nevada

Idle Youth Rate

Lowest

• 1. New Hampshire
• T-2. Rhode Island
• T-2. North Dakota
• T-2. Massachusetts
• T-5. Minnesota
• T-5. Iowa

Highest

• T-43. Oklahoma
• T-43. West Virginia
• 47. Arkansas
• T-48. Nevada
• T-48. Mississippi
• T-48. Louisiana

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

New Hampshire vs. Louisiana

Annual Volunteer Hours per Resident

Highest

• 1. Utah
• 2. Idaho
• 3. Montana
• 4. Connecticut
• 5. Wyoming

Lowest

• 46. Arkansas
• 47. Louisiana
• 48. Rhode Island
• 49. Alabama
• 50. Mississippi

Best State vs. Worst State: 5x Difference

Utah vs. Mississippi

Average Leisure Time Spent per Day

Lowest

• 1. Idaho
• 2. Utah
• 3. Colorado
• 4. Hawaii
• 5. Arizona

Highest

• 46. Wyoming
• 47. South Dakota
• 48. New Hampshire
• 49. Oklahoma
• 50. Nebraska

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In-Depth Look at the Hardest-Working States

North Dakota

North Dakota is the hardest-working state, in part because it has the third-highest employment rate in the country, at nearly 98%. Plus, workers ages 16 to 64 work an average of 39.6 hours per week – the fourth-most in the country.

People in the Roughrider State don’t take a lot of time for themselves outside of work, either, as they have the 11th-lowest amount of leisure time per day. In addition, 33.5% of workers leave some vacation time unused, the second-highest percentage.

To top things off, both adults and young people stay busy in North Dakota. The state has the seventh-lowest share of households where no adults work, and the second-lowest share of people ages 18 to 24 with no degree beyond a high school diploma who are not in school and not working.

Alaska

Alaska has the second-hardest-working residents in the country. The average Alaskan worker between the ages of 16 and 64 works 41.6 hours per week, the highest number of hours in the country. This is significant because Alaska is the only state where the average exceeds 40 hours per week. For comparison, people in the District of Columbia work an average of 40.2 hours per week, but Alaska exceeds that by 1.4 hours.

In addition, Alaska has the 12th-highest share of workers who leave some vacation time unused, at 27.5%. It also has the third-highest share of workers who have more than one job and the 10th-lowest share of households where no adults work.

South Dakota

South Dakota ranks third among the hardest-working states, in part because 6.1% of workers have multiple jobs, the 11th-highest percentage in the country. Although this may not be an ideal situation, indicating that people’s main jobs are not paying them enough, it’s still a testament to how hard South Dakota residents are willing to work.

In addition, South Dakota has the fifth-lowest share of “idle youth” – people ages 18 to 24 who are not in school, are not working and have no school experience beyond a high school diploma. This shows that young adults are actively trying to advance their education or career paths.

Finally, hard work continues to define South Dakotans, who also boast the highest employment rate in the country, at over 98%.

Ask the Experts

The hard work ethic of Americans has brought about the creation of many successful businesses. But overworking can take a harsh toll on workers. For additional insight on both productivity and the condition of workers, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. In the current economic environment, do you believe wages will register a true increase or will people need to work extra or get a second job?
2. What impact do you believe AI will have on the American worker?
3. Do you believe job conditions are on the rise in the U.S.? What measures should authorities undertake in order to better protect workers?
4. What are the main changes in the job market in 2025, and how will they impact employee engagement?

Ask the Experts

Ryan Nunn
Assistant Vice President, Community Development and Engagement - Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Read More

Anyi Ma
Assistant Professor, Management and Human Resources, School of Business - University of Wisconsin – Madison
Read More

Dr. Will Hawks
Assistant Professor of Management, H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship - Nova Southeastern University
Read More

Favour Olarewaju
Economics PhD Candidate in the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at The University of Memphis
Read More

Heidi Hartmann
Distinguished Economist for Gender Analysis, Sociology - American University
Read More

Christian vom Lehn
Department of Economics – Brigham Young University
Read More

More Experts

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 (~32.00 Points)
• Employment Rate: Double Weight (~21.33 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 (~10.67 Points)
• Share of Workers Leaving Vacation Time Unused: Half Weight (~5.33 Points)
• Share of Engaged Workers: Half Weight (~5.33 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 (~5.33 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 as of July 28, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, The Annie E. Casey Foundation and AmeriCorps.

Supporting Video Files:

• YouTube - National (for web embedding)
• YouTube - North Dakota (for web embedding)
• Raw video files (for editing into clips)