These 5 North Carolina Cities Named Hardest Working

Congratulations Charlotte — you’re the 63rd hardest working city in America, according to a report released earlier this week. The personal finance site WalletHub ranked 116 cities based on what it calls direct work factors and indirect work factors.

San Francisco was the hardest working city with a score of 78.52 out of 100, WalletHub said. Columbia, South Carolina, came in last place with an overall score of 25.72 points.

Data such as average hours worked per week, employment rate and amount of unused vacation time was used to calculate the direct work factor score. The highest possible score would be 80 points.

Average workweek hours were by far the single most important factor in the direct work factor score, receiving a triple weight and accounting for 43.64 points by itself.

By comparison, the highest possible indirect work factor score would be 20 points.
Average commute time, share of workers with multiple jobs and yearly volunteer hours were among the factors used to determine that score.

Charlotte ranked 61st in direct work factors and 75th in indirect work factors.

Elsewhere in North Carolina, Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem and Greensboro also made the list. They ranked 72nd, 74th, 99th, and 106th, respectively.

California had 17 cities make the list, including the top two in the country. Texas had 13 cities make the list, along with six cities in Florida and Indiana.

The site ensured at least one city from each state was represented. Each city refers to city proper, WalletHub said, and excludes the surrounding metro area.

WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, Social Science Research Council and Corporation for National & Community Service.

Click here to see how every city ranked.

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