5 North Carolina Cities Among The 'Hardest-Working' Cities In The U.S.
By Sarah Tate
January 6, 2023
If you've ever visited major metropolitan cities like New York or Los Angeles, you've likely noticed that people tend to be on the go. Conversely, cities like Charleston, which was named the best place to retire, offer a more laid-back vibe for those who want to take their time to enjoy the little things. Depending where you live, you could find yourself a part of a culture where people are on the grind harder than those in another who may value time away from their job.
WalletHub compared 116 of the largest cities in the U.S. to determine which are the "hardest working" cities in the country, including five in North Carolina. According to the site:
"[Americans] work so hard, in fact, that we put in more hours at our jobs than several other industrialized countries. The average U.S. worker puts in 1,767 hours per year — 169 hours more than the average in Japan, 400 more than the U.K. and 435 more than Germany."
So which North Carolina cities are among the most (and least) hardworking in the country?
- No. 23: Raleigh
- No. 24: Durham
- No. 27: Charlotte
- No. 79: Winston-Salem
- No. 81: Greensboro
Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte all ranked in the Top 30 overall, placing around the same spot with very similar scores. Winston-Salem and Greensboro, on the other hand, both ranked in the lower half of the list, still placing higher than cities like Sacramento, New Orleans and Detroit.
These are the Top 20 hardest working cities in America:
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Washington, D.C.
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- San Francisco, California
- Irving, Texas
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Austin, Texas
- Plano, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Chesapeake, Virginia
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Chandler, Arizona
- Arlington, Texas
To determine the list, WalletHub compared more than 100 U.S. cities across two factors: direct work factors and indirect work factors. These were then evaluated using 11 key metrics, including average workweek hours, employment rate, share of workers leaving vacation time unused, idle youth, average commute time, share of workers with multiple jobs, average leisure time spent per day, annual volunteer hours per resident and more.
Check out WalletHub's report to see the full list of the hardest working cities in the country.