Posted by: Richie Bernardo

Many Americans view hard work as the path to achieving the American Dream. We work so hard, in fact, that we put in more hours at our jobs than several other industrialized countries such as Germany, Japan and the U.K.

But some U.S. cities represent the strong work ethic that helped to build the world’s biggest economy better than others. In order to determine which cities outwork the rest of America, WalletHub compared the 116 largest cities across nine key metrics. Our data set ranges from employment rate to average weekly work hours to share of workers with multiple jobs. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Employment Rate Over Time
3. Ask the Experts
4. Methodology

Main Findings

  Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/10424/geochart-hardwork1.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2sRqdZa>  

Hardest-Working Cities in the U.S./p>

Overall Rank*	City	Total Score	‘Direct Work Factors’ Rank	‘Indirect Work Factors’ Rank
1	San Francisco, CA	78.52	2	31
2	Fremont, CA	78.28	1	55
3	Jersey City, NJ	74.14	3	11
4	Washington, DC	74.06	7	2
5	New York, NY	71.88	5	35
6	Oakland, CA	70.56	4	68
7	Boston, MA	68.64	6	74
8	Aurora, CO	68.56	9	32
9	Newark, NJ	67.02	11	23
10	Chicago, IL	65.20	12	65
11	San Jose, CA	65.13	13	48
12	Los Angeles, CA	64.99	8	104
13	Garland, TX	64.94	14	45
14	Philadelphia, PA	64.32	15	50
15	Baltimore, MD	63.71	17	59
16	Long Beach, CA	63.46	10	101
17	Plano, TX	61.68	21	20
18	Arlington, TX	61.54	19	43
19	Denver, CO	61.44	22	19
20	Fort Worth, TX	61.43	20	34
21	Anaheim, CA	61.19	16	105
22	Riverside, CA	60.90	18	78
23	Dallas, TX	60.82	24	28
24	Gilbert, AZ	60.36	25	29
25	Chula Vista, CA	60.34	27	22
26	Austin, TX	59.63	26	56
27	Seattle, WA	59.00	30	41
28	Chesapeake, VA	58.32	32	53
29	Portland, OR	58.05	33	42
30	Irvine, CA	57.85	23	94
31	Nashville, TN	57.44	29	73
32	Glendale, AZ	57.36	35	47
33	Houston, TX	57.08	28	86
34	Irving, TX	56.67	38	20
35	San Antonio, TX	56.07	36	61
36	Manchester, NH	55.95	45	14
37	St. Paul, MN	55.80	42	18
38	Tampa, FL	55.78	40	40
39	St. Petersburg, FL	55.68	39	46
40	Minneapolis, MN	55.24	47	15
41	Miami, FL	54.55	31	107
42	Honolulu, HI	54.26	37	80
43	Virginia Beach, VA	54.26	49	24
44	Santa Ana, CA	53.97	34	106
45	San Diego, CA	53.74	57	16
46	Phoenix, AZ	53.52	52	39
47	Orlando, FL	52.88	41	97
48	Mesa, AZ	52.70	54	52
49	San Bernardino, CA	52.57	44	81
50	Jacksonville, FL	52.18	46	93
51	Chandler, AZ	52.08	59	29
52	Sacramento, CA	51.42	50	90
53	Salt Lake City, UT	51.20	78	4
54	Stockton, CA	51.05	53	90
55	Bridgeport, CT	50.92	56	85
56	Oklahoma City, OK	50.64	63	26
57	Atlanta, GA	50.39	51	96
58	Portland, ME	50.25	84	3
59	Colorado Springs, CO	49.86	67	25
60	Louisville, KY	49.83	55	98
61	Scottsdale, AZ	49.61	69	17
62	St. Louis, MO	49.50	65	49
63	Charlotte, NC	49.27	61	75
64	Omaha, NE	49.13	82	5
65	Indianapolis, IN	49.07	60	82
66	North Las Vegas, NV	48.62	43	115
67	El Paso, TX	48.56	66	63
68	New Orleans, LA	48.44	64	79
69	Las Vegas, NV	47.94	48	114
70	Norfolk, VA	47.72	75	33
71	Columbus, OH	47.06	74	51
72	Raleigh, NC	47.01	72	60
73	Hialeah, FL	46.70	58	110
74	Durham, NC	46.67	76	57
75	Lexington-Fayette, KY	46.60	68	89
76	Wilmington, DE	46.49	79	44
77	Milwaukee, WI	46.29	86	13
78	Cincinnati, OH	46.12	70	88
79	Baton Rouge, LA	45.36	71	100
80	Laredo, TX	45.35	80	63
81	Kansas City, MO	45.20	85	37
82	Henderson, NV	45.05	62	113
83	Pittsburgh, PA	44.72	81	67
84	Tucson, AZ	44.71	73	103
85	Cleveland, OH	44.71	77	83
86	Des Moines, IA	43.53	96	6
87	Anchorage, AK	43.40	108	1
88	Fort Wayne, IN	41.95	90	72
89	Lincoln, NE	41.81	102	10
90	Boise, ID	41.78	91	69
91	Birmingham, AL	41.59	89	92
92	Albuquerque, NM	41.40	94	54
93	Memphis, TN	41.33	88	99
94	Corpus Christi, TX	40.75	98	36
95	Tulsa, OK	40.45	100	38
96	Burlington, VT	40.39	97	62
97	Billings, MT	40.34	106	9
98	Sioux Falls, SD	40.27	109	7
99	Winston-Salem, NC	40.17	95	76
100	Little Rock, AR	40.10	93	87
101	Detroit, MI	39.71	87	108
102	Jackson, MS	39.26	92	102
103	Wichita, KS	39.10	107	12
104	Madison, WI	39.08	104	58
105	Providence, RI	38.86	83	116
106	Greensboro, NC	38.82	99	77
107	Toledo, OH	37.43	105	71
108	Fargo, ND	36.50	112	27
109	Reno, NV	35.74	101	111
110	Buffalo, NY	35.47	103	109
111	Bakersfield, CA	34.65	111	70
112	Lubbock, TX	34.39	110	84
113	Fresno, CA	30.66	113	95
114	Cheyenne, WY	30.19	116	8
115	Charleston, WV	27.81	115	66
116	Columbia, SC	25.72	114	112

*1=Hardest Working

 

Employment Rate Over Time

 

Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/21DYaah"> <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/images/posts/10812/animation-new2.gif" width="700" height="575" alt="animation new2" /> </a> <div style="width:700px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2sRqdZa>

   

Ask the Experts

The American work structure contrasts with that of other countries. For additional insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. Research shows that Americans work 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe. Why do Americans work so much more, and is it worth it?
2. Does working more hours always translate into higher productivity? Does this vary by industry or job type?
3. What is the ideal numbers of hours to work per week?
4. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?

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• Peter Cole Professor of History at Western Illinois University
• Mike Olszanski Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Labor Studies at Indiana University School of Social Work
• Alí R. Bustamante Economic Policy Fellow in the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans and Senior Research Associate in the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University
• David B. Robertson Curators' Teaching Professor and Chairperson of the Political Science Department at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Peter Cole Professor of History at Western Illinois University

Research shows that Americans work 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe. Why do Americans work so much more, and is it worth it?

There’s no single factor, but let me suggest the most important reason: American workers are far weaker compared to their European counterparts due to the collapse of unionism in America’s private sector. Whereas fifty years ago, about one in three American workers belonged to a union, now it’s about one in ten. In the private sector, it’s under seven percent. As a result, American workers are far less able to stand up to employers’ demands, whether it be hours worked, workplace safety, health insurance and pensions, wages, and the like. By contrast, one of the largest, most powerful unions in Germany, IG Metall, just negotiated an incredible package with a group of its employers, including Mercedes-Benz. This deal will give a large portion of the union’s two-plus million members more flexible working hours and a 28-hour week -- down from the current 35-hour week!

Does working more hours always translate into higher productivity? Does this vary by industry or job type?

Not to my knowledge. In fact, let me suggest the opposite. Generally speaking, workers who labor for more hours get tired and, as a result, make more mistakes. Just think about our personal lives: when does one get hurt, say, playing basketball or skiing? It’s when we’re tired, i.e., late in a shift. No doubt, productivity varies by industry and job, but a growing number of countries in Europe have argued that productivity will increase if the total number of hours worked is decreased. For instance, a recent study in Sweden examined what happened when nurses’ shifts were reduced from 8 to 6 hours, and found that productivity rose and workers were happier. Let me suggest another benefit of reducing hours: increasing the number of people with jobs. As population rises and automation continues, spreading work among more people seems quite wise and humane.

What is the ideal numbers of hours to work per week?

No doubt, it varies by occupation, but also by the sort of worker -- age, skill, etc. Let me return to my previous point: as population in the United States and world rises -- and as the pace of automation quickens -- the number of hours each worker will need to labor should decline. American employers ferociously resisted the implementation of 8-hour days for three quarters of a century. Since the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established the 8-hour day and 5-day week as the norm for hourly workers, there literally has been no movement on this issue. None. Seeing that the FLSA was passed eighty years ago, I believe it is high time that the United States moved to the 6-hour day.

What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?

Let me suggest that without strong unions, the only other way to seriously improve workers’ quality of life (be they blue-collar, white-collar, whatever), is through public policy. Few employers voluntarily introduce policies to improve quality of life, because they are laser-focused upon this quarter’s profits. I think the most important policy improvement would finally recognize what has been the reality for more than a generation: in most families, every adult works. As a result, there is no one able to look after young children or even school-aged children after they finish school for the day. In short, the United States desperately needs a national system to provide affordable, quality daycare. It’s a no-brainer that it would be immensely popular with most Americans. Instead of claiming to be pro-family, a national daycare system would prove it.

My second suggestion is to create a cheaper, more rational health care system. Sadly, the United States spends more money (in actual dollars and as a percentage of GDP) than any other nation, and gets middling outcomes. That’s bad for people and for business. Sure, America’s got plenty of fancy surgical procedures and prescription drugs, but what we need is a public health system that delivers preventative care at low cost. It has existed in many other countries for decades. Want to improve the quality of life of Americans, workers and non-workers alike? Create a government-run, national health care system, i.e., Medicare for all. It would be way cheaper and would eliminate the profit motive from decisions that should not be dictated primarily by cost. I don’t want someone putting a price tag on my health.

Remember when Sarah Palin famously decried so-called “death panels?” Guess what? They already exist. We call them insurance companies. Caring for our health and our children would be game-changing improvements to America’s quality of life, that would benefit employers, too, as they also are human beings.

Mike Olszanski Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Labor Studies at Indiana University School of Social Work

Research shows that Americans work 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe. Why do Americans work so much more, and is it worth it?

Workers in the U.S. work more hours because unions here, which have become smaller and weaker, have been unable to negotiate either a shorter work week, or higher real wages for the past 30 years. Since wages are flat, the only way to earn more is to work more.

Does working more hours always translate into higher productivity? Does this vary by industry or job type?

Productivity, which is the number of person-hours necessary to produce a unit of product, is up 243 percent since 1948. If workers shared equitably in this huge increase in our efficiency, we should either be working half as many hours, or our real wages should have doubled, or some combination of higher wages and shorter hours. Weaker unions have been unable to either raise (real) wages and/or shorten the hours of work in order to share in the productivity bonanza.

What is the ideal numbers of hours to work per week?

Given the increase in productivity, 28-hour work week, like that recently negotiated by German union IG Metall, seems fair.

A shorter work week would be of great benefit to workers, but businesses would benefit as well. Happy, well-rested employees are, it seems to me, likely to be more efficient, and even more productive workers

Alí R. Bustamante Economic Policy Fellow in the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans and Senior Research Associate in the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University

Research shows that Americans work 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe. Why do Americans work so much more, and is it worth it?

Americans typically work more hours than workers in Europe, because American employment regulations promote greater working hours. For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows hourly workers to get paid time and a half of their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 hours per week, while exempting salary workers with annual salaries greater than $23,660 (the equivalent of an hourly rate of about $11.38). However, the FLSA does not regulate the minimum hours that can be offered to wage workers, and does not cap the maximum number of hours which salary workers can work.

Depending on the industry, the FLSA’s pay regulations have the impact of incentivizing firms to hire many salary workers above the $23,660 threshold, with the understanding that hired workers will need to work more than 40 hours a week, or firms will employ many part-time wage workers in lieu of full-time wage workers who may occasionally work hours in excess of 40 hours per week.

The consequence of firm strategies to minimize paid overtime leads low-skilled workers to work multiple part-time jobs with hours typically totaling more than 40 hours a week, instead of working one full-time job. Alternatively, higher-skilled workers end up working more than 40 hours a week because their higher-salaried jobs require them to. Employers also use independent contractors or temp worker agencies to avoid paying over-time and other employee benefits. Employers’ labor strategies are largely being driven by financial and competitive pressures to keep labor cost down. However, the consequence is that workers are working more hours, while pay rates have been relatively stagnant.

Does working more hours always translate into higher productivity? Does this vary by industry or job type?

Working more hours does not always translate into higher productivity. In fact, higher productivity stems from workers doing more with less, as in working fewer hours of work. Data show that productivity has stagnated, especially after the Great Recession. Therefore, the evidence likely supports the idea that firms, in the aggregate, have not been able to translate more hours into higher productivity. In fact, when you think of the employment strategies I mentioned above, it’s likely that productivity is hindered by the redundancy and waste that comes from workers working multiple jobs in short stints, and from employers keeping salary workers on the clock just because they can and not because of productivity gains.

What is the ideal numbers of hours to work per week?

The ideal number of hours to work per week likely differs from firm to firm, even within the same industry, because of the issues of scaling and access to supply chains. What’s clear is that employers are largely dictating the number of work hours without much input from workers. The latter is supported by recent research into the rise of monopsony employers. This phenomenon is likely contributing to suboptimal returns in productivity.

What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?

The quality of life of American workers will be greatly improved by greater enforcement of existing labor and anti-trust laws, cracking down on the misclassification of employees, minimizing the use of non-compete agreements, and supporting labor unionization. Together, these policies would restrain employers with monopsony power and increase labor market competition. Furthermore, employers and workers can gain a lot from promoting greater transparency in pay and hours.

David B. Robertson Curators' Teaching Professor and Chairperson of the Political Science Department at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Research shows that Americans work 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe. Why do Americans work so much more, and is it worth it?

In recent decades, several European governments reduced legal working hours, and some collective bargaining agreements in some nations cut working hours. The U.S. did not do so, explaining why Americans work more hours. It’s worth it for those who love their work more than anything else, and it’s not worth it for people who prefer other things (like being with their family or going on vacation). Also, it is far from clear that working more hours is the same as more individual productivity. Studies indicate that some of the time that people spend at work is not very productive at all.

Does working more hours always translate into higher productivity? Does this vary by industry or job type?

The U.S., Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany are very competitive in the international economy, though workers in the last three countries work shorter hours. Difference in working hours don’t seem to make much difference in the nation’s productivity. After looking at some data, I find it hard to know how working hours vary by industry. Production workers and transportation workers (truck drivers) are reported to have longer working hours than the average. But some professionals work 60 or more hours a week. These may not be typical for their industries (banking and finance, for example), but the number of people working such hours was increasing a few years ago. Part-time work also can have an effect.

What is the ideal numbers of hours to work per week?

Between 0 and 70 (or 10 hours a day, 7 days a week), depending on how a person wants to spend their time, and how much they value their paycheck compared to how much they value spending time away from work.

What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?

Americans want good jobs and good wages -- a paycheck that allows them to live comfortably, a job that is secure and not in danger of disappearing, a job that provides some financial security through health insurance and some kind of retirement benefit, a job that protects their dignity, and a job that allows them a reasonable amount of time to spend on their own lives and personal priorities.

Methodology

In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared 116 of the most populated cities across two key dimensions, “Direct Work Factors” and “Indirect Work Factors.”

We evaluated those dimensions using nine 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.” Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

For our sample, we ensured that at least one city from each of the 50 states was represented. Each city refers to city proper and excludes the surrounding metro area.

Direct Work Factors – Total Points: 80

• Average Workweek Hours: Triple Weight (43.64 Points)
• Employment Rate: Full Weight (14.55 Points)Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Civilian Population Aged 16 Years and Over Employed / Total Civilian Population Aged 16 Years and Over in Labor Force.
• Share of Workers Leaving Vacation Time Unused*: Half Weight (7.27 Points)
• Share of Engaged Workers*: Half Weight (7.27 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 (16-24) Rate: Half Weight (7.27 Points)Note: This metric measures the rate of residents ages 16-24 who are neither in school nor working.

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 a percentage of total employment.
• 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 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, Social Science Research Council and Corporation for National and Community Service.

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