Labor study shows North Dakota is hardest working state

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