Exhausted Maryland? We're Hardest-Working State: Study

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Take a break, Maryland: You’re THE hardest-working state in the country.

A new study released by Zippia.com, a website devoted to data analysis regarding careers in America, ranked all 50 states in order of hardest working.

The Free State was followed by neighboring Virginia, with New Jersey, New Hampshire and Colorado rounding out the top 5.

The study authors said their rankings reflect “two ingrained American stereotypes — the industrial Northeast and the workhorse cowboy of the plains.”

Here’s why Maryland took the spot, according to the authors:

“Maryland won this one in pretty convincing fashion. In an attempt to score points with the boss, it ranked significantly better than average on every single criteria.

“Maryland shines in what most people consider the worst part of their day — the commute to work. Maryland ranked number 1 overall with an average commute of 32 minutes. Compared to the average commute time in North Dakota (The shortest on the list), Marylanders spend an extra 4 days getting to and from work each year.

“So if you’d relax your work ethic just a tad and move to North Dakota, you’d get four more vacation days each year. And by the looks of things, you need them.”

Zippia used criteria like average hours worked; average commute time; workers per household; labor force participation rate; and adults with a college degree to pull together its rankings.

Maryland’s No. 1 ranking came with an average of 38.8 hours worked per week, good for 15th overall; the most time spent commuting; and the 11th-highest ranking in the country with residents who hold a bachelor’s degree.

To see the full study, go here.