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Mapped: U.S. States That Work the Hardest

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

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

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
Hours
Triple Weight36.9N/A
Employment RateFull Weight12.3Employed 16+ civilian
population / Total 16+
civilian population in
labor force.
Share of Households
Where No Adults
Work
Full Weight12.3N/A
Share of Workers
Leaving Vacation
Time Unused
Half Weight6.2N/A
Share of Engaged
Workers
Half 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 Jobs
Full Weight5.0Employed population
with multiple jobs /
Total employed
population.
Annual Volunteer
Hours per Resident
Full Weight5.0N/A
Average Leisure
Time Spent per Day
Full 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 Rank
Indirect 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.

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