2025 Most Overworked Cities Report

Americans are reshaping their relationship with work. From ongoing debates about remote work flexibility to growing interest in four-day workweeks, the conversation around work-life balance continues to evolve.

As an advocate for healthier relationships with work and money, our team at FinanceBuzz wanted to identify the cities where Americans are facing the highest risk of burnout. To identify the most overworked cities, we studied six factors across 75 of the most populated cities in the U.S.

The final index, ranked from the most overworked to the least, reveals key comparisons and areas of opportunity for different metro areas to help their workers.

Key findings

• Washington, D.C, is the most overworked city in the United States
• Buffalo, New York, is the city with the best work-life balance
• Workers in San Francisco, California, spend 45.3 hours per week working and commuting, which is the most of any city
• 91.1% of workers in Little Rock, Arkansas, work at least 50 weeks per year, the highest rate in the country

How we chose these metrics and cities

• Average number of hours spent working and commuting to work per week: The typical workweek is about 40 hours, and travel time to and from the office only adds to the time workers have to commit to their jobs. Where in the U.S. are people putting in more hours than average?
• Percentage of households where two or more people have jobs: How many households have more than one person working full-time?
• Percentage of workers who work 50+ weeks per year: Many full-time workers receive specific holidays off as well as a preset paid time-off policy. But how many are still in the office or on the clock for the majority of the year?
• Percentage of active workers aged 65+: How many people past the typical retirement age are still punching the clock on a full-time basis?
• Percentage of workers in each city who have two or more jobs: When one job doesn't cut it, how many workers in the U.S. have taken on a second job?
• Google Trends search volume for side hustles and side jobs: If someone isn't making enough money at their primary job, they may add work at a side hustle to their schedule to earn some extra income. So in which cities are people searching for these kinds of supplemental jobs at the greatest rate?
• Google Trends search volume for terms related to overworking: Workers who feel overwhelmed by their job and work obligations may turn to the internet to find tips and help dealing with that work-related stress.

The most overworked cities in America

1. Washington, D.C.

Workers in the nation's capital spend 45 hours per week at work or commuting to and from their job, which is the second-most of any city in the country. Additionally, nearly a quarter of people above the age of 65 in the city are still part of the workforce, and Google Trends search volume for terms relating to overwork in the District of Columbia is among the 10 highest in the country.

2. Honolulu, Hawaii

While Hawaii is typically thought of as a vacation paradise, a large part of that reputation stems from how hard locals work year-round to keep it appealing to visitors. More than 7% of Hawaiians work two jobs, one of the five highest rates in the country. More than a quarter of retirement-aged people in Hawaii, 25.3%, are still actively working, and 88.8% of workers in Honolulu spend at least 50 weeks per year at work, putting Honolulu in the top 10 in both metrics.

3. San Francisco, California

Despite the relatively low percentage of workers in California who have two jobs (just 4.4%), the amount of time that San Franciscans spend working and commuting every week (45.3 hours, which is the most in the nation) and the high percentage of dual-worker households (61.2%) are more than enough to earn San Francisco the bronze medal when it come to overworking.

4. Dallas, Texas

Workers in Dallas spend nearly 45 hours per week (44.5) at work or commuting, the fourth most of any city. Dallas also ranks in the top 10 for people looking to add to their workload by searching for side hustles or side jobs on Google.

5. San Jose, California

Workers in the heart of Silicon Valley are among the most vacation-deficient in the country, as 89.8% spend more than 50 weeks per year in the office, which is the fourth most in the country. Workers are feeling the strain of that schedule and looking for help online as well, as San Jose is tied for the highest average search volume in the country for terms related to overwork.

6. Charlotte, North Carolina

Workers in Charlotte spend a lot of time at work every year, and work later into life compared to workers in most cities. The Queen City's workforce ranks in the top 10 in the country when it comes to the percentage of people working 50 or more weeks per year as well as the percentage of those aged 65+ who are still working.

7. Virginia Beach, Virginia

While Virginia Beach workers don't lead the nation in any metric related to overwork, they rank above average in nearly all metrics. This includes weekly work and commute times that are within an hour or two of the top cities and a high percentage of people who work 50 or more weeks per year (88.8%).

8. Oakland, California

Oakland has a number of similar metrics to the nearby top-10 cities of San Francisco and San Jose, though they have a higher percentage of elderly workers than both of those cities. What lands Oakland lower on the list than those cities is that workers in Oakland spend less total time commuting and working per week, and fewer households have multiple people working full-time.

9. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is the first of two Colorado cities rounding out the top 10 when it comes to America's most overworked cities. More than 87% of workers in Colorado Springs spend more than 50 weeks per year on the job, and the city ranks sixth in the country when it comes to search volume for people looking for side hustles or side jobs.

10. Denver, Colorado

61.7% of households in Denver include at least two members who work full-time, one of the 10 highest rates in the country. Denver also ranks in the top 15 in the country for total time spent working and commuting per week.

Cities with the best work-life balance in America

1. Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is one of just six cities where people spend less than 40 hours per week working and commuting, averaging just 39.4 hours. Buffalo also has the third-lowest rate in the country for both the percentage of households with two full-time workers (43.4%) and the percentage of people who work 50 or more weeks per year (82.9%).

2. Tallahassee, Florida

No state has a lower percentage of workers with two or more jobs than Florida (3.4%), a metric that works in favor of every city in the Sunshine State. When it comes to Tallahassee-specific data, workers in Florida's capital spend less time than anyone else in the country at work or commuting, at just 37.5 hours per week.

3. Detroit, Michigan

Just 34.5% of households in Detroit include two people who are full-time workers, easily the lowest rate in the country. The Motor City also has the fifth-lowest percentage of senior citizens in the workforce of any city, at just 16.5%.

4. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Located on the opposite side of the state from Detroit, no city in the country has a lower percentage of elderly workers still active in the workforce. Just 14.9% of people over the age of 65 in Grand Rapids are still working.

5. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

No city values time away from the office as much as Baton Rouge, as just 80.6% of full-time employees in Baton Rouge work 50 or more weeks annually, the lowest rate in the country. Baton Rouge also ranks in the bottom 10 in terms of average time spent working and commuting, averaging exactly 40 hours.

6. Las Vegas, Nevada

Just 17.6% of people over the age of 65 who live in Sin City are still working, the ninth-lowest rate of any city. Las Vegas also has the fifth-lowest search volume for terms related to overwork and is in the bottom 15 when it comes to people searching for side hustles online.

7. Cleveland, Ohio

Just 42.6% of Cleveland's households include two or more full-time workers, the second-lowest rate of any city. Cleveland also has the second-lowest percentage of elderly workers among cities, with just 16.0% of people aged 65+ still active in the labor force.

8. Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is another city where workers spend less than 40 hours per week on the job or traveling to the office, averaging 39.7 hours, the fourth-fewest in the nation. Hartford is also in the bottom 10 for the percentage of dual-worker households and workers who spend 50+ weeks per year at work.

9. Tucson, Arizona

Just 17.4% of people over 65 in Tucson are still active in the workforce, the tenth-lowest percentage in the country. Additionally, across the entire state of Arizona just 4% of people have two jobs, which is the eighth-lowest rate of any state.

10. Toledo, Ohio

Similar to Cleveland, a relatively low percentage of households in Toledo include multiple full-time workers at just 43.8%, the fourth-lowest rate among all cities. Toledo's average search volume for five different search terms related to overwork is 30.3/100, which is one of the 15 lowest in the country.

Putting in the hours

Cities with more demanding work cultures can make the total hours spent in the office or traveling to work add up. We found the cities where people spend the most time at their jobs on average.

San Francisco leads the way in this regard, with workers spending a combined 45.3 hours per week at work or commuting. Washington, D.C., is the only other city with an average of at least 45 hours per week, while workers in five more cities (New York, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and Miami) all dedicate more than 44 hours per week to their jobs.

All work, no play

Taking time off to go on vacation and get away from the office can be a great way to combat overwork and job fatigue, but not everyone takes advantage of their available time off.

More than 91% of full-time workers in Little Rock, Arkansas, spend at least 50 weeks per year at work, the highest rate of any city. More than 90% of workers in two more cities, Corpus Christi, Texas, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, are similarly shunning their vacation days.

Office veterans

65 is a common retirement age, but an increasing number of people are staying in the workforce past that milestone birthday.

Nowhere is that truer than in Nashville, Tennessee, where 28.3% of people over the age of 65 are still active in the workforce. That is nearly 1.5 percentage points higher than any other city in the country, as Little Rock is second at 26.9%. All told, we found nine different cities across America where more than a quarter of residents aged 65+ are still working.

A city-by-city breakdown of America's most overworked cities

City	Overworked Score (higher means more overworked)	Average work + commute time (weekly hours)	Dual Job Households	Workers who work 50+ weeks per year	Older adult workers	Workers with 2 jobs	Google Trends Search Volume for "Side Hustle/Side Job"	Google Trends Search Volume for Terms Relating to Overwork
Washington, DC	68.9	45.0	55.8%	86.5%	24.3%	5.9%	33.0	38.8
Honolulu, HI	68.8	41.8	58.5%	88.8%	25.3%	7.2%	35.0	35.8
San Francisco, CA	68.5	45.3	61.2%	86.1%	21.0%	4.4%	37.5	41.3
Dallas, TX	66.9	44.5	57.9%	87.7%	25.3%	4.8%	38.5	34.5
San Jose, CA	64.5	42.5	62.9%	89.8%	19.9%	4.4%	30.5	41.3
Charlotte, NC	63.4	43.3	59.2%	88.8%	25.6%	4.5%	36.0	33.3
Virginia Beach, VA	63.4	43.0	54.4%	88.8%	23.4%	5.7%	33.5	34.8
Oakland, CA	62.7	42.4	56.4%	86.3%	24.7%	4.4%	37.5	41.3
Colorado Springs, CO	62.6	42.7	54.8%	87.3%	18.7%	6.3%	41.5	35.5
Denver, CO	62.2	43.6	61.7%	87.3%	20.5%	6.3%	32.5	33.8
Corpus Christi, TX	61.3	43.2	48.5%	90.5%	20.6%	4.8%	36.5	34.0
Raleigh, NC	60.9	41.8	59.4%	88.3%	22.0%	4.5%	38.5	37.0
Lincoln, NE	60.6	38.9	58.6%	89.0%	22.0%	7.7%	24.5	41.0
Austin, TX	60.2	43.4	61.7%	86.3%	25.8%	4.8%	34.0	33.5
Seattle, WA	59.9	42.5	63.4%	84.8%	22.7%	5.7%	42.0	33.8
Madison, WI	59.5	39.8	64.0%	85.9%	22.7%	6.8%	33.5	39.8
New York, NY	59.3	44.7	53.4%	87.7%	20.1%	4.4%	32.5	35.8
Boston, MA	59.2	43.8	57.3%	84.8%	21.5%	6.1%	34.0	35.5
Kansas City, MO	59.0	42.3	54.9%	88.8%	22.6%	5.5%	35.5	32.3
Little Rock, AR	58.8	42.1	49.3%	91.1%	26.9%	4.1%	34.0	31.5
Oklahoma City, OK	58.7	43.1	55.0%	88.9%	20.5%	5.8%	38.0	29.3
Portland, OR	58.3	41.8	60.7%	83.8%	18.2%	5.8%	48.0	37.3
Omaha, NE	58.1	41.5	59.5%	87.4%	19.5%	7.7%	30.0	33.3
Tulsa, OK	57.2	41.8	49.9%	86.6%	23.4%	5.8%	40.5	33.8
Chicago, IL	56.9	44.1	57.4%	85.4%	20.9%	5.4%	33.5	33.8
Houston, TX	56.5	44.2	50.1%	86.6%	22.9%	4.8%	37.5	31.3
Phoenix, AZ	56.1	43.4	59.5%	87.6%	23.5%	4.0%	36.5	30.5
Lexington, KY	55.5	41.7	57.9%	85.1%	24.7%	5.2%	35.5	36.0
Nashville, TN	55.0	43.0	59.6%	86.1%	28.3%	3.8%	36.0	30.3
Baltimore, MD	54.6	43.2	50.8%	87.1%	20.0%	5.0%	35.0	33.8
Sioux Falls, SD	54.4	41.9	63.7%	90.3%	17.5%	6.2%	30.5	26.3
Wichita, KS	54.4	41.0	55.0%	86.1%	18.2%	7.0%	35.0	35.5
San Diego, CA	54.3	41.6	57.8%	88.2%	20.2%	4.4%	35.0	35.0
Anchorage, AK	54.3	42.8	59.0%	83.4%	25.3%	7.7%	22.5	32.7
Des Moines, IA	54.3	40.8	56.0%	84.0%	26.5%	7.0%	36.5	32.5
Indianapolis, IN	54.0	42.3	57.3%	86.0%	23.8%	5.3%	35.5	31.5
Jacksonville, FL	53.0	43.6	52.4%	88.4%	19.0%	3.4%	34.0	33.5
Miami, FL	52.7	44.1	56.0%	88.5%	23.8%	3.4%	30.0	28.8
Richmond, VA	51.8	41.8	53.0%	84.5%	22.5%	5.7%	35.0	35.0
St. Louis, MO	51.6	42.0	52.9%	87.1%	20.7%	5.5%	34.0	31.5
Spokane, WA	51.6	40.7	52.3%	86.9%	20.3%	5.7%	32.0	36.5
Columbus, OH	51.1	41.3	53.2%	85.2%	21.4%	6.5%	36.0	32.0
Birmingham, AL	51.1	43.5	44.2%	89.1%	19.9%	3.6%	33.0	32.5
Riverside, CA	51.0	42.7	58.2%	88.7%	16.9%	4.4%	30.5	32.5
Cincinnati, OH	51.0	41.4	48.5%	85.7%	23.5%	6.5%	35.5	30.8
San Antonio, TX	50.8	42.8	53.2%	86.0%	20.9%	4.8%	35.0	32.3
Orlando, FL	50.7	43.2	60.4%	87.2%	26.2%	3.4%	33.0	25.3
Sacramento, CA	50.4	42.3	54.6%	87.6%	16.4%	4.4%	41.0	31.0
Los Angeles, CA	50.4	42.8	58.1%	85.4%	24.1%	4.4%	30.5	32.5
Reno, NV	50.2	41.5	57.2%	86.5%	21.8%	5.0%	31.0	33.8
Atlanta, GA	49.7	43.6	55.1%	84.4%	21.8%	3.9%	37.5	32.3
Fort Wayne, IN	49.6	41.9	51.1%	86.8%	21.5%	5.3%	33.5	31.3
Memphis, TN	49.4	42.3	46.8%	87.6%	22.4%	3.8%	35.5	32.5
Philadelphia, PA	49.3	43.9	52.2%	85.4%	16.6%	5.8%	33.0	30.5
Minneapolis, MN	49.3	40.4	61.2%	83.9%	19.9%	6.9%	38.0	31.3
New Orleans, LA	48.9	41.3	46.1%	89.7%	21.4%	4.7%	33.5	29.8
Louisville, KY	48.8	42.5	51.3%	85.2%	23.2%	5.2%	36.0	29.5
Greensboro, NC	48.3	41.0	52.4%	85.2%	23.7%	4.5%	37.5	34.0
Boise, ID	47.5	40.5	57.3%	86.4%	19.3%	5.4%	36.0	31.5
Salt Lake City, UT	47.2	40.7	66.8%	83.6%	19.3%	5.7%	35.5	32.8
Pittsburgh, PA	46.5	40.7	55.5%	84.1%	19.3%	5.8%	37.5	33.5
Tampa, FL	44.9	43.3	53.8%	88.0%	18.9%	3.4%	31.5	27.3
Milwaukee, WI	44.4	41.5	46.8%	86.4%	16.2%	6.8%	32.0	29.5
Providence, RI	44.3	39.9	51.9%	81.3%	19.8%	6.1%	42.0	33.5
Albuquerque, NM	43.8	41.7	46.5%	87.9%	17.3%	4.1%	32.5	32.5
Toledo, OH	43.6	40.6	43.8%	85.5%	19.8%	6.5%	34.5	30.3
Tucson, AZ	43.4	40.0	51.7%	86.2%	17.4%	4.0%	37.0	36.0
Hartford, CT	43.3	39.7	44.5%	83.7%	20.2%	6.8%	34.5	35.0
Cleveland, OH	43.1	41.2	42.6%	85.0%	16.0%	6.5%	36.0	31.8
Las Vegas, NV	42.8	42.7	52.2%	86.0%	17.4%	5.0%	31.5	28.3
Baton Rouge, LA	39.5	40.0	43.8%	80.6%	22.6%	4.7%	42.5	33.0
Grand Rapids, MI	39.2	40.7	58.5%	85.7%	14.9%	5.0%	31.5	29.8
Detroit, MI	36.0	40.4	34.5%	83.9%	16.5%	5.0%	42.0	30.3
Tallahassee, FL	35.5	37.5	47.2%	86.7%	21.5%	3.4%	35.0	30.8
Buffalo, NY	24.6	39.4	43.4%	82.9%	19.1%	4.4%	28.0	29.5
75 City Average	52.6	42.1	54.3%	86.5%	21.23%	5.2%	34.9	33.1

Bottom Line

Working 40 hours or more per week can be exhausting, but there are plenty of tips and tricks to put some convenience back in your workweek.

• Get rewarded at the gas pump. Fueling your commute can be expensive, but if you use one of the best credit cards for gas you can earn cash back with every purchase.
• Put time back in your morning by working remotely. Learn how to find remote jobs to start working from home to avoid a commute.
• Use a credit card for work expenses. When you use one of the best credit cards for work expenses, you can keep all of your work-related transactions organized and separate from any personal expenses. Likewise, you may be able to cash in on any rewards offered through your purchases.
• Build a financial safety net. No one wants to feel that after all their hard work, they're still struggling financially. Open up one of the best savings accounts and contribute regularly to create a financial safety net in case of emergencies.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz collected data on 75 of America's biggest cities. We found data for seven factors relating to work and overworking for each city.

Factors were compared using a dynamic formula that assigned each city a score of 0-5 relative to every other city. Those factor scores were then weighted to assign each city a final value out of 100, with higher scores indicating cities that are more overworked.

For each factor, a weight of 3.00 serves as the baseline, with weights above 3.00 having a larger impact on a city's total score and those below 3.00 having a lesser impact. The weights and sources for the individual metrics used are as follows:

Criteria	Source	Weight
Average # of hours worked and commuted per week	U.S. Census	4
% of workers that work 50+ weeks per year	U.S. Census	4
Google Trends search volume for terms relating to overwork	Google Trends	3
Google Trends search volume for terms relating side hustles	Google Trends	2.5
% of workers in each city's state with two or more jobs	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	2.5
% of households where two or more people have jobs	U.S. Census	2
% of active workers aged 65+	U.S. Census	2