The 10 hardest-working states in the US — and the 10 states that work the least

Working hard, or hardly working?

Americans work an average of 1,805 hours per year, according to the World Economic Forum, but some states put in more hours than others.

WalletHub examined data for all 50 US states to determine which are the hardest-working.

The August 2025 report measured 10 indicators by state divided into two categories: “direct work factors” and “indirect work factors.”

Direct work factors included average workweek hours, employment rate, share of households where no adults work, share of workers with unused vacation time, share of workers who are “involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace,” and the rate of idle youth, meaning residents aged 18 to 24 who are not in school or working and do not have a degree beyond a high school diploma or GED.

The indirect work factors studied were average commute time, share of workers with multiple jobs, annual volunteer hours per resident, and average leisure time spent per day.

The report used data collected in July from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gallup, and AmeriCorps, among other sources, WalletHub said.

“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,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in the report.

Here are the top 10 hardest-working states, according to the study, followed by the 10 states that ranked the lowest.

1. North Dakota

North Dakota earned WalletHub’s distinction of the hardest-working state in the US due to several factors. It has the third-highest employment rate in the US and the fifth-highest average workweek hours of any state at 39.6 hours a week. In addition, about one-third of workers in North Dakota don’t use all of their vacation time.

2. Alaska

On average, residents of Alaska work more hours than any other state at 41.6 hours a week. Around 27.5% of workers in Alaska also don’t use all of their vacation time, contributing towards its ranking as the second hardest-working state in the US, according to WalletHub.

3. South Dakota

South Dakota has the highest employment rate of any state at over 98%, and more than 6% of workers in South Dakota have multiple jobs. Per WalletHub, it also has the fifth-lowest share of “idle youth” — young people ages 18 to 24 who are not in school or working and don’t have an education beyond a high school diploma.

4. Texas

Texas has the second-highest average workweek hours behind Alaska. It placed fifth in WalletHub’s ranking of “direct work factors,” which include rates of employment, unused vacation time, and idle youth.

5. Hawaii

Hawaii rounded out the top five ranking as the fifth hardest-working state.

It ranked first in WalletHub’s assessment of “indirect work factors” such as average commute time, the number of workers with multiple jobs, and average leisure time spent per day.

WalletHub found that Hawaii had the fourth-lowest amount of average leisure time spent per day.

6. Virginia

WalletHub ranked Virginia 10th in direct work factors and seventh in indirect work factors, making it the sixth hardest-working state overall.

7. New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s employment rate was the fourth-highest in the US. It also featured the lowest rate of idle youth. At the same time, New Hampshire residents were found to have the third-highest average amount of leisure time spent per day, placing it seventh in WalletHub’s overall ranking of hardest-working states.

8. Wyoming

Wyoming had the third-highest average workweek hours, tied with Louisiana. Workers in the state also make ample use of their time outside of work with the fifth-highest annual volunteer hours per resident and fifth-highest average leisure time spent per day.

9. Maryland

Maryland was ranked 13th in WalletHub’s direct work factors and sixth in indirect work factors, placing it ninth in the overall ranking.

10. Nebraska

WalletHub found that Nebraska, the 10th hardest-working state, featured the fifth-highest employment rate in the US while its residents also enjoyed the highest average leisure time per day of any state.

41. Oregon

Ranked as America’s 10th least hardworking state by the WalletHub study, Oregon tied with Rhode Island as having the third-lowest average number of work hours a week in the country.

42. Illinois

WalletHub found Illinois to have the fourth-lowest employment rate in the country, contributing to its ranking as the 42nd most hardworking state.

43. New Mexico

New Mexico, which was ranked 43rd out of all 50 states in the study, took the 44th spot for indirect work factors, which included average commute time, the number of workers with multiple jobs, and average leisure time spent per day.

44. Ohio

Ohio, the 44th most hardworking state, or seventh least hardworking state, was ranked 45th for direct work factors by WalletHub.

45. California.

California had the second-lowest employment rate in the country. The state also tied with Connecticut for the fourth-lowest average number of work hours a week in the WalletHub study.

46. New York

New York came 49th in WalletHub’s direct work factors ranking and 21st in indirect work factors, earning it the 46th place in the overall ranking.

47. Nevada

Nevada, which was ranked as the fourth least hardworking state, is tied in the top spot with Mississippi and Louisiana for the highest rate of idle youth and has the country’s lowest employment rate out of all 50 states.

48. Rhode Island

Ranked as the third least hardworking state, Rhode Island ranked 48th in average volunteer hours per resident and tied in 47th place with Oregon for average workweek hours.

However, the state was also ranked as having the second-lowest idle youth rate in the country in a tie with North Dakota and Massachusetts.

49. West Virginia

West Virginia, which was ranked as the second least hard-working state, had some of the highest idle youth rates in the country, — when compared to other states, WalletHub ranked it as 43rd in a tie with Oklahoma.

50. Michigan

Michigan was ranked as the least hardworking state, thanks to direct work factors like average work hours per week, employment rate, share of households where no adults work, and share of engaged workers, among others, where it ranked 50th in the country.

The state also had the fifth-lowest employment rate, with WalletHub ranking it 46th in the country.

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