With only 48 percent of Americans having used all of their paid time off last year, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2024’s Hardest-Working States in America, as well as expert commentary, to find out where Americans are putting in the most effort, as well as where people might need to take a break.

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 10 key metrics. The data set ranges from the average number of hours worked per week to the share of workers with multiple jobs to the average leisure time spent per day.

Top 20 Hardest-Working States in America

North Dakota was rated as the hardest working state, followed by Alaska at number two. Third was Nebraska, followed by Wyoming, South Dakota, Maryland, Texas, Colorado, New Hampshire and, at number 10, Kansas.

Ranked number 11 through 20 were Virginia, Oklahoma, Georgia, Hawaii, Tennessee, Mississippi, Iowa, Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri.

California was ranked 39th on the list and the bottom five were Connecticut at number 46, followed by New Mexico, Michigan, New York and West Virginia.

Key Stats

Alaska has the longest hours worked per week, which is 12 percent longer than in Utah, the state with the shortest.

New York has the longest average commute time, which is 1.9 times longer than in South Dakota, the state with the shortest.

Mississippi has the highest share of workers leaving vacation time unused, which is 1.6 times higher than in Ohio, the state with the lowest.

Maine has the highest share of workers with multiple jobs, which is 2.5 times higher than in Florida, the state with the lowest.

“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,” said Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst. “North Dakota is the hardest-working state, in part because it has the highest employment rate in the country, at over 98 percent. Plus, workers ages 16 to 64 in North Dakota work an average of 39.7 hours per week, the third-most in the country. People in the Roughrider State have the second-lowest amount of leisure time per day, and 33.5 percent of workers leave some vacation time unused, the second-highest percentage.”

To view the full report and all state rankings, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/hardest-working-states-in-america/52400

Expert Commentary

What impact do you believe AI will have on the American worker?

“I think it is still too early to determine what the full impacts will be. Early evidence suggests that AI will help a lot in boosting communication skills (think about ChatGPT’s ability to improve your writing), performing repetitive well-defined tasks (like some coding tasks) and in identifying relevant information (like using a patient’s symptoms to make a medical diagnosis based on past cases). Workers whose jobs require a lot of these tasks may find themselves shifting what they do at work, moving away from things that AI is good at. That could also mean that certain jobs that AI is really good at could become more scarce. But we also would expect that AI would introduce new job opportunities as well (prompt engineer, etc.), so it’s hard to say what the overall impact will be just yet.”

Christian vom Lehn – Associate Professor, Brigham Young University

Do you believe job conditions are on the rise in the U.S.? What measures should authorities undertake in order to better protect workers?

“Job conditions in the U.S. are indeed evolving, but whether they are on the rise is a matter of perspective. On one hand, there is a growing emphasis on creating safer work environments to reduce injuries, particularly in sectors like construction where hazards are inherent. This is coupled with the increasing adoption of technology, such as tele-health and telemedicine, which can expedite the recovery of injured employees and reduce associated costs. However, the rise of the gig economy, where workers traditionally lack workers’ compensation, presents new challenges. Additionally, there are concerns about legislation reducing workers’ compensation benefits, even as some states are extending benefits for issues like Covid infection and opioid addiction. To better protect workers, authorities should continue to enforce and refine regulations that ensure workplace safety. This includes holding employers accountable for providing safe and healthy work environments, as mandated by organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In addition, authorities should address the changing nature of work by extending protections to gig workers and other non-traditional employees. This could involve reevaluating and updating workers’ compensation policies to reflect the realities of the modern workforce. Authorities should also leverage technology to improve worker protections. This could involve promoting the use of tele-health services in workers’ compensation or using digital tools to monitor and enforce workplace safety standards. Finally, authorities should consider measures to promote equality in the workplace, such as strengthening anti-discrimination laws and promoting equal pay for equal work. This is particularly important in light of the persistent gender pay gap and other forms of workplace inequality.”

Can Erbil – Professor of the Practice, Boston College

What are the main changes in the job market in 2024 and how will they impact employee engagement?

“I am going to answer as an organizational psychologist and not an economist! Organizations are still settling on hybrid work policies and are also continuing to edge towards gig, or non-fulltime, roles. Each of these can have negative impacts on employee engagement as we often lean into relationships with co-workers and a shared workspace as sources of connection to our jobs. However, positive employee engagement is a result of many factors with meaningful work being critical. Employers (and the employees themselves) should look to ensure that workers find identity and purpose in their work. Crafting jobs to take advantage of individuals’ skills and interests is one way to do this, as well as clarifying the impact of their work on external or internal customers.”

Dr. Kurt Kraiger – Chair and Professor, Department of Management, University of Memphis

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Mill and Elevator Association reported Tuesday record profits of $20.7 million for the 2024 fiscal year — a 20.6% increase from $17.2 million reported in 2023, according to a North Dakota Industrial Commission release.

Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota’s Mill is the biggest and only state-owned milling facility in the country. It was established in 1922 and is overseen by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, consisting of Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

“The state’s capital investments into two new milling units have resulted in record shipment volume of 17.5 million hundredweights of North Dakota Mill product,” members of the Industrial Commission said in a joint statement. “We are grateful for the hard work of the outstanding team at the mill that resulted in new records in grain purchases, gross sales, product shipments and profits, all achieved with an exceptional safety record.”

The mill has transferred 52.5% of the profits — $9,877,704 — to the state’s general fund and $1,039,758 to the agricultural product utilization fund. The remaining profits are used for mill operations, according to the release.

“North Dakota farmers again provided high-quality spring wheat and durum to the mill this year, and we also saw a 10% increase in shipment volumes. Our dedicated employees stayed focused on providing consistent quality products delivered with a high level of customer service,” mill President and CEO Vance Taylor said in the release.

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Iowa State football head coach Matt Campbell talks to the media during the program’s football media day at Stark Performance Center on Friday, August 2, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.© NIrmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

 AMES — The excitement level spikes. The adrenaline flows more freely. Mistakes emerge that must be corrected.

 It’s finally game week for the Iowa State football team, and as the atmosphere changes, head coach Matt Campbell and his staff endeavor to ensure nothing else does in terms of his team’s preparedness and attention to detail.

 “That’s the whole mentality of this program,” Campbell said in advance of the Cyclones’ season-opener at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (FS1) against North Dakota at Jack Trice Stadium. “Your mindset day in and day out for the last six months should match what Tuesday practice in the fall looks like — week one, to week six, to week 12. The great teams that I’ve been around, they’ve had the same mindset every single day.”

 So there’s no mental shift for ISU as it transitions from fall camp to the regular season — except that now the players will be cheered on by 60,000-plus fans. 

 “The energy in the Jack — me personally, I love playing in Jack Trice (Stadium),” said junior defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, one of six Cyclones whose 13 career starts all came last season. “It should be really fun, really exciting. I love the energy. Ready to go.”

 ISU and North Dakota have never met on the football field, but the Fighting Hawks’ rise though the FCS ranks over the past several years has been impressive. They reached the playoffs in 2023 and return skilled starters at key positions, but are less experienced on the offensive and defensive lines and at quarterback. And despite being prohibitive favorites this Saturday, Campbell and his staff know that danger and adversity often lurk in those on-paper mismatches in week one.

 Case in point: Last Saturday’s “week zero” game between No. 10 Florida State and Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. The Yellow Jackets were double-digit underdogs, but upset the Seminoles, 24-21, on a last-second field goal.

 “Football’s hard to replicate,” Campbell said of the inevitable rust often evident early in the season. “Eleven-on-eleven, it’s really hard to replicate the environment and game day experience. So, man, how you tackle in the first game, how you handle the pressure of some of these guys in new roles — and all of a sudden, now there (are nearly) 70,000 people here and there’s this great environment and great experience. I think all of those things are unknown.”

 North Dakota’s biggest unknown is its quarterback, Simon Romfo. He beat out last season’s backup during fall camp, but nearly all of his college football statistics are sandwiched into mop-up duty in one game. The 5-11, 190-pound junior completed both his passes and rushed for two touchdowns in last season’s 49-10 win over Western Illinois. 

 “He’s a skilled guy,” Cyclones veteran defensive coordinator Jon Heacock said. “He’s athletic. He’s tough. And those guys present problems, too. They run the football, you know, quarterback runs. It’s stuff we’ve prepped for and studied all summer, and we’re just trying to figure out the balance to where it’s all gonna be.”

 Therein lies the uncertainty in week one of any season. That’s why Campbell hopes nothing changes in how his players approach each practice — even as the cheers and hoopla will soon surround each Saturday as “the lights come on.”

 “Now there’s a result,” Campbell said. “A tangible result to the time, the effort, the energy that you spend into it. Not all results will be great, and how you respond to it is defining of who you are and who you’ll become.”