10 Most Overworked Cities in the US

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Finance Buzz surveyed major cities in the U.S. to determine how hard people work in each of them. They considered multiple factors, including the average number of hours worked per week, the average commute time, the percentage of households that include two or more working people, the percentage of workers who work 50 or more weeks per year, the percentage of people working past retirement age (65), and the number of people who work two or more jobs or have a side hustle.

While most people consider 40 hours the average work week, it’s less than that. By law, workers must get breaks during the day, including an hour (split up into a 30-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks), which means the typical work day is 7 hours long, not 8. While two weeks of vacation time was the standard, leaving 50 weeks of work each year, many employers now lump sick and vacation time together into paid time off, typically three weeks or more.

Considering the combination of ratings, residents who are overworked were factored into the cities they are in. The higher the rating, the more overworked people are in that locale.

Here are the ten most overworked cities in the U.S.

10. Baltimore, Maryland

Workers in Baltimore work an average of 38.7 hours per week. The average commute is just under half an hour, at 27.7 minutes. Nearly two-thirds (63.6%) work 50 or more weeks per year. One in five (20.5%) workers is over the age of 65. And one job is not enough for some Baltimoreans – 5.5% work two or more jobs and 2.3% have a side hustle in addition to their ‘day job.’ This all adds up to making Baltimore the tenth most overworked city in the country.

9. Indianapolis, Indiana

In Indianapolis, you can expect to work 39.1 hours per week and commute for 23 minutes each day. You’ll work 50 or more weeks a year if you’re 61.7% of your fellow Hoosiers. 56.5% of households have two or more people employed, and 20.4% of workers are 65 or older. 5.7% of people work two or more jobs, and 2.8% have a side hustle.

8. Kansas City, Missouri

The average work week in Kansas City is 39.4 hours, and 64.6% of workers are on the job for 50 or more weeks each year. The average 23-minute commute is shorter than it is in some cities. Over half (57.1%) of households have two or more employed workers, and 19.3% of workers are 65 or older. 5.1% of people hold two jobs and 2.8% have a side hustle.

7. Salt Lake City, Utah

Workers in Salt Lake City, Utah, work 37.9 hours per week, the least of the top ten most overworked cities. They also have the shortest commute of the group at just 21.7 minutes. But Salt Lake City has the highest percentage of dual job households at 63.6%, and 63.4% of workers work for 50 or more weeks per year. Side hustlers comprise 3.6% of the Salt Lake City population, and 5.3% of workers have two jobs.

6. Boston, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts, has the second-longest commute of the top 10 most overworked cities, with workers spending an average of 28.4 minutes to get to work. Workers spend an average of 38.1 hours each week on the job, and 61.2% of households have at least two people with jobs. 61.6% of workers toil for 50 or more weeks each year. Boston has one of the highest rates of workers 65 or older, at 22.3%. 5.3% of worker have two jobs and 2.6% have a side hustle in addition to their day job.

5. Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas, residents come the closest to working a 40-hour week, with the average number of weekly hours at 39.9. They take an average of 27.3 minutes to get to work. Dual-job households comprise 57.1% of the total households, and 61.5% of workers are on the job for more than 50 weeks per year. The percentage of workers in Dallas that are over 65 is 22.9%. 4.5% of workers have two jobs, and 2.4% have a regular job plus a side hustle.

4. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, workers work an average of 38.1 hours per week and spend 23.3 minutes to get there. 62% of households include at least two workers, and 64.5% of employees work more than 50 weeks per year. The number of workers over age 65 in Minneapolis is the smallest of any city in the top 10, at 18.5%. 6.5% of workers in Minneapolis have two jobs and 3.2% have a side hustle as well as their regular job.

3. Austin, Texas

The average work week in Austin, Texas, is 39.8 hours, and 63.4% of workers work 50 weeks or more per year. The average commute is 26.1 minutes. One in five (20%) of workers in Austin is 65 or older, and 60% of households include at least two workers. 4.5% of workers have two jobs and 3.3% have a regular job plus a side hustle.

2. Denver, Colorado

The average number of hours worked per week in Denver, Colorado is 39.3, and 64.8% of workers work for 50 or more weeks per year. The average commute is 26.7 minutes. 60.5% of households are dual-job households, and 21.2% of workers are 65 or older. If you have two jobs in Denver, you’re among the 6.3% of workers there who do, and another 3.4% have a side hustle as well as their ‘day job.’

1. Washington, D.C.

The most overworked city in the country is Washington, D.C. The average worker spends 39 hours per week at work, and it takes them an average of 31 minutes to get there. 64% of Washingtonians work 50 or more weeks per year, and 61.3% of households have dual jobs. 23.4% of workers in the nation’s capital are aged 65 or older. 5.6% of workers in Washington, D.C. have two jobs and 3% work a regular job plus a side hustle.

The Least Overworked Cities

If working long hours isn’t your thing, consider some of the least overworked cities, like Las Vegas, Nevada, and Buffalo, New York. Florida and California are good bets if you don’t want to work a lot. Each state had three cities in the bottom ten on the overworked list: Riverside, Sacramento, and Los Angeles in California, and Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville in Florida.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, the least overworked city on the list, the average work week is 38.5 hours and the commute is 24.4 minutes. Fewer than half (48.3%) of households are dual-job households. Just a little more than half (52.8%) of workers work 50 or more hours per week, and just 14.9% of workers are age 65 or over. 4.1% of workers have two jobs, and 1.9% have a side hustle with their regular job.

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