Posted by: Adam McCann

Americans are hard workers, putting in an average of 1,780 hours per year, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s about 425 hours per year more than Germans work, but about 370 less than Mexicans do.

Even when given the chance to not work as hard, many Americans won’t. In fact, the average American only uses 54% of their available vacation time. However, while it may seem as if workers are happily pursuing the American Dream, many individuals’ reasons for working hard may not be so pleasant. Some fear that if they take time off they will look less dedicated to the job than other employees, risking a layoff. Others worry about falling behind on their work or worry that the normal workflow will not be able to function without them.

It is possible to work hard without overdoing it, though. Hard work is key to success, and the people of some states understand that better than others. To determine where Americans work the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 10 key indicators. They range from average workweek hours to share of workers with multiple jobs to annual volunteer hours per resident. Read on for the results, insight from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/52400/hardest-working.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="https://ift.tt/2L20XoU>  

Hardest-Working States in the U.S.

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	‘Direct Work Factors’ Rank	‘Indirect Work Factors’ Rank
1	North Dakota	71.41	1	39
2	Alaska	69.31	2	4
3	South Dakota	60.92	5	13
4	Texas	59.58	3	38
5	Nebraska	59.29	6	15
6	Hawaii	58.50	8	11
7	Wyoming	58.32	4	27
8	Colorado	56.82	9	12
9	Virginia	56.34	10	10
10	Maryland	55.54	14	2
11	New Hampshire	54.33	13	8
12	Oklahoma	54.27	7	44
13	Kansas	51.88	11	34
14	Iowa	50.96	12	32
15	Minnesota	50.36	18	6
16	Tennessee	49.08	15	37
17	Georgia	48.52	16	40
18	Utah	48.21	34	1
19	Louisiana	47.29	17	43
20	Wisconsin	46.85	29	5
21	Indiana	46.56	21	20
22	North Carolina	46.53	22	17
23	Maine	46.36	31	3
24	Missouri	44.50	23	30
25	Idaho	44.30	27	22
26	Arkansas	44.11	20	45
27	Vermont	44.03	25	26
28	Montana	43.34	32	16
29	South Carolina	43.16	24	42
30	Mississippi	43.01	19	49
31	Delaware	42.73	28	31
32	Washington	42.32	38	9
33	California	41.93	30	33
34	Alabama	40.46	26	48
35	Nevada	40.44	35	36
36	New Jersey	40.42	37	24
37	Kentucky	40.39	36	35
38	Massachusetts	40.11	39	18
39	Arizona	39.65	40	23
40	Florida	39.49	33	46
41	Pennsylvania	39.37	44	14
42	Illinois	38.73	41	25
43	New York	38.16	42	28
44	Connecticut	38.10	43	19
45	Oregon	36.62	48	7
46	Ohio	35.40	47	21
47	Michigan	33.58	46	41
48	New Mexico	33.57	45	47
49	Rhode Island	32.86	49	29
50	West Virginia	26.52	50	50

*1=Hardest Working

 

Ask the Experts

The hard work ethic of Americans has brought about the creation of many successful businesses. But overworking can take a harsh toll on workers. For additional insight on both productivity and the condition of workers, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. Do you believe the current Trump administration approach to foreign trade will provide workers in the U.S. with more opportunities to earn more and get more work?
2. In the current economic environment, do you believe wages will register a true increase or will people need to work extra or get a second job?
3. What impact do you believe automatization will have on the American worker? How will new industrial developments, like 3D printing and machine learning, impact the productivity of the average worker? How about his/her income?
4. Do you believe job conditions are on the rise in the U.S.? What measures should authorities undertake in order to better protect workers?

< >

• Steve Striffler Director, Labor Resource Center and Labor Studies Program, Professor, Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Boston
• Ernie Goss Ph.D. – MacAllister Chair in Economics, Department of Economics and Finance, Creighton University
• Jerry Marschke Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University at Albany, SUNY
• Linda Loubert Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Morgan State University
• Mike Clark Associate Director, Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Kentucky
• Naomi R. Williams Assistant Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine where the hardest-working Americans live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions: “Direct Work Factors” and “Indirect Work Factors.”

We evaluated those dimensions using ten 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.”

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

Direct Work Factors – Total Points: 80

• Average Workweek Hours: Triple Weight (~36.92 Points)
• Employment Rate: Full Weight (~12.31 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 Households where No Adults Work: Full Weight (~12.31 Points)
• Share of Workers Leaving Vacation Time Unused: Half Weight (~6.15 Points)
• Share of Engaged Workers: Half Weight (~6.15 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 (~6.15 Points)Note: This metric measures the rate of residents aged 16-24 years 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 share of employed population with multiple jobs among total employed population.
• Annual Volunteer Hours per Resident: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

 Videos for News Use:

• YouTube (for web embedding National)
• YouTube (for web embedding North Dakota)
• Raw files (for editing into clips)

 Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Schultz Family Foundation, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup and Corporation for National & Community Service.

Image: Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock.com

from Wallet HubWallet Hub


via Finance Xpress