A recent report from the personal finance site WalletHub has listed the top 10 most industrious cities in the United States.
Why It Matters
A robust sense of professionalism is profoundly ingrained in American society and serves as a key component of the American dream.
According to WalletHub’s research, the typical American employee works for approximately 1,799 hours annually—a figure that surpasses Japan's average by 188 hours, the UK's by 275 hours, and Germany's by 456 hours.
What To Know
To arrive at their conclusions, WalletHub analyzed 116 of the largest U.S. cities based on both "direct" and "indirect" employment factors.
Key job-related elements encompassed aspects such as typical weekly working hours, employment levels, the proportion of employees not utilizing their vacation days, and the percentage of homes without employed adults.
The indirect elements encompassed the mean travel duration to work, the proportion of individuals holding more than one job, the total yearly volunteer hours per inhabitant, as well as the daily amount of free time enjoyed.
Every indicator was evaluated using a 100-point system, where a perfect score of 100 signified the "most diligent."
WalletHub subsequently calculated a weighted average of all indicators for every city to determine an overall score, utilizing this score to establish their ranking within the sample.
Leading the list as the "most industrious" city in the U.S. was Anchorage, Alaska.
According to the report, "People living in Anchorage, AK, are considered the most industrious citizens nationwide because it’s among just five states where individuals typically work over 40 hours each week."
The city boasted an unusually high employment rate of almost 97 percent, indicating that virtually all working-age people were employed.
The report additionally revealed that 7.6 percent of employees juggle multiple jobs, placing them at the third spot for highest such rates nationally. Residents of Anchorage spent some of their least amount of time on daily leisure activities, securing the eighth position from the bottom out of the 116 urban areas analyzed in the research.
Securing the second position was Washington, D.C.
This was partly because the nation's capital had the highest percentage of workers—64 percent—who leave their vacation time unused. Additionally, D.C. residents worked the fourth-highest number of hours per week on average, the report said.
In third place was Irving, Texas.
According to the report, it boasted the smallest percentage of homes with no employed adults, standing at approximately 12%. Additionally, it was positioned as number six nationwide for average weekly working hours.
The research indicated that it ranked third in terms of employee engagement, which refers to the proportion of staff members who are "actively involved in, excited about, and dedicated to their jobs and the organization they work for."
Among the top 10 cities nationally, Irving was joined by three others from Texas: Dallas, Austin, and Arlington.
The leading ten cities were as follows:
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Washington, D.C.
- Irving, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Austin, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- San Francisco, California
- Arlington, Texas
What People Are Saying
Chip Lupo from WalletHub stated Pawonation.com : Anchorage climbed to the top spot as the hardest-working city mainly due to a significant increase in the Indirect Work Factors category.
Last year, Anchorage jumped from 85th place to rank at number 15 nationally for Indirect Work Factors in 2025. These factors encompass elements like average commuting duration and the proportion of individuals holding down multiple jobs. Despite having an impressive 97% employment rate, Anchorage places third nationwide, with 7.6% of its workforce managing more than one occupation.
Diligent effort forms the foundation of America’s economic success and stands as a significant factor behind the nation's prosperity, with Americans often putting in more hours than individuals in numerous other industrialized countries.
Although working extended hours, reducing time away from work, and taking up additional jobs can boost productivity, these practices may also harm individuals' physical and mental well-being. It’s crucial for people to determine how to balance this effectively. work hard without overworking ."
What Happens Next?
Each year, WalletHub publishes its report on the most industrious cities in the U.S.
Pawonation.com has previously mapped the hardest-working states in America .
Updated as of February 25, 2025 at 11:59 AM ET: The piece has been revised to include remarks from Chip Lupo.
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