According to a new study, Texas is the sixth-most hardest-working state in all of America.
The study, titled 2023's Hardest-Working States in America, was conducted by personal finance website WalletHub. The purpose of the study was to pinpoint the states that had the most work-focused residents.
To find which states worked the hardest, WalletHub analyzed two key categories: direct work factors and indirect work factors. Within each category were a number of relevant key metrics that helped determine the rankings, including employment rate, share of households where no adults work, number of workers with multiple jobs, etc.
Texas landed itself in the sixth spot by ranking fourth in direct work factors and 40th for indirect work factors. According to the study, the Lone Star State had the second-highest average workweek hours, meaning that Texans spend a lot of their time on the clock.
Texas workers also spend a lot of their time traversing back-and-forth to their jobs, as the state had the 14th highest average commute time.
The states that were found to be the most hard-working in the country — ranking just above Texas — were North Dakota (first overall), Alaska (second), South Dakota (third), Nebraska (fourth) and Wyoming (fifth).
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the study indicated that the five least hard-working states were New Mexico (50th), New York (49th), West Virginia (48th), Michigan (47th) and Connecticut (46th).
In light of its findings, WalletHub also asked a series of experts if the current economic environment might force more U.S. residents to work more hours or multiple jobs.
"Wages are increasing, on average, but not at the same rate as inflation," said Miren Ivankovic, adjunct professor of Economics at Clemson University. 'Thus, even if nominal wages are moving up, real wages are actually decreasing, on average. Therefore, the standard of living is dropping, and, yes, the options for some are to work an additional job or seek overtime work."
To complete the study, WalletHub gathered and analyzed data from a number of different sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, The Annie E. Casey Foundation and AmeriCorps.
To view the study in full, head over to the WalletHub website.
