The Most Overworked Cities in the US [2024]

With increased discourse surrounding work-life balance, debates around post-pandemic requirements to return to working out of an office rather than home, and national conversations around a potential four-day workweek, it’s clear Americans are reshaping their relationships with work.

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 more than 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

• Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and Washington, D.C. are the most overworked cities in the United States.
• Detroit, Michigan, is the least overworked city, followed by Tallahassee, Florida, and Buffalo, New York.
• Colorado and Texas are both home to two cities that are among the 10 most overworked in the country. They are the only states with multiple cities ranking so highly.

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 that 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?

The most overworked cities in America

1. Denver, Colorado

Denver ranks above-average in every single metric we looked at, but the factor contributing the most to the city’s first-place finish is the percentage of households where two or more people work full-time jobs. Almost 62% of households in Denver fit that bill, the seventh-highest rate of any city.

2. Dallas, Texas

Workers in Dallas spend nearly 45 hours per week at work or commuting, tied with New York City for the second-highest total in the country behind Miami. The percentage of Dallas’ 65+ population still active in the workforce is also the second-highest in the country, as 25.4% of people over traditional retirement age are still working in the city.

3. Washington, D.C.

People in the nation’s capital spend almost as much time at work and commuting as workers in Dallas. And more than a quarter of residents over the age of 65 are still participating in the workforce. In both instances, however, DC’s numbers are slightly lower than Dallas's.

4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The number of people in OKC looking for side hustles and side jobs is the third-highest of any city in the top 10 and well above the average across all cities evaluated.

5. Austin, Texas

Austin is the second Texas city to rank among the most overworked cities in the country. Austin has the third-highest percentage of householders where multiple people work full-time (63.3%) and 25.5% of people over 65 in the city are still working — the highest rate of any city in the country.

6. Virginia Beach, Virginia

While Virginia Beach workers don’t lead the nation in any metric related to overwork, they rank above average in all metrics. This includes weekly work and commute times that are within a few minutes of the top cities and a high percentage of people who work 50 or more weeks per year (86.8%).

7. New York, New York

New York is known as the city that never sleeps, and part of that may stem from how much time they spend at work. The Big Apple is tied with Dallas for the second-highest average amount of time workers spend on the job or commuting — just under 45 hours per week.

8. Portland, Oregon

The average search volume for side hustles and side jobs in Portland is 86.5 out of 100, far and away the highest rate of any city in the country. Additionally, two or more people have jobs in nearly 60% of households in Portland, among the 15 highest rates of any city.

9. San Francisco, California

Despite the relatively low percentage of workers in California that have two jobs (just 4.4%), the amount of time that San Franciscans spend working and commuting every week (44.92 hours) and the higher percentage of dual-worker households (62.8%) are more than enough to make San Francisco the ninth most-overworked city in America.

10. Colorado Springs, Colorado

With Colorado Springs coming in at number 10, the list of the most overworked cities is bookended by the two biggest cities in Colorado. While the number of people looking for side jobs is higher in Colorado Springs than in Denver, things like combined average work and commute time and the percentage of elderly workers in the city are lower.

The least overworked cities in America

1. Detroit, Michigan

Detroit has the lowest percentage of senior citizens in the workforce of any city, at just 13.5%. The Motor City also has the lowest percentage of workers that are in the office at least 50 weeks per year — just 77.1%.

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 the 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 38.95 hours per week.

3. Buffalo, New York

Like Tallahassee, Buffalo is another city where people commit less than 40 weekly hours to their jobs, averaging 39.6 hours per week (including commute time).

4. Tucson, Arizona

Just 17.2% of people over the age of 65 in Tucson are still active in the workforce, and the city’s search volume for side hustles and jobs averages 52 out of 100, ranking among the 10 lowest totals of any city for both metrics.

5. Cleveland, Ohio

Just 38.7% of Cleveland's households include two or more full-time workers, the second-lowest rate of any city and one of only two cities with a rate under 40%.

6. Birmingham, Alabama

In Alabama, just 3.6% of workers have two or more jobs, the second-lowest rate of any state. That stat, along with below-average results in multiple other categories, is why Birmingham ranks as the sixth least-overworked city in the country.

7. Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro ranks relatively low in multiple categories, including the percentage of workers who work 50+ weeks per year (83.5%), the percentage of people aged 65+ that are still working (18.8%), and how many North Carolinians have at least two jobs (4.5%).

8. Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the third and final city in the country where workers average less than 40 hours per week on the job and commuting (39.72), along with Tallahassee and Buffalo. Wisconsin’s state capital also has the fourth-lowest search volume of any city in the country when it comes to looking up side hustles and side jobs.

9. Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is among the bottom 10 cities when it comes to the percentage of elderly workers (16.5% of people over 65) and average combined work and commute time (40.53 hours).

10. Spokane, WA

Spokane only ranks above average in one area — the percentage of workers in the state that have two or more jobs. In all other areas, the city ranked at or below average compared to the rest of the country.

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"
Denver, Colorado	71.0	43.85	61.9%	87.2%	22.6%	6.3%	69.5
Dallas, Texas	70.4	44.98	53.9%	88.0%	25.4%	4.8%	68.5
Washington, District of Columbia	69.9	44.92	58.4%	87.7%	25.1%	5.9%	59.5
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	65.3	43.15	51.5%	86.8%	23.6%	5.8%	73.0
Austin, Texas	64.0	43.43	63.3%	87.8%	25.5%	4.8%	62.0
Virginia Beach, Virginia	63.2	43.65	53.3%	86.8%	23.3%	5.7%	65.0
New York, New York	61.9	44.98	52.4%	86.5%	18.7%	4.4%	71.0
Portland, Oregon	61.7	41.55	59.5%	84.1%	19.8%	5.8%	86.5
San Francisco, California	61.7	44.92	62.8%	86.4%	19.6%	4.4%	63.5
Colorado Springs, Colorado	61.7	42.05	56.0%	86.7%	18.8%	6.3%	75.5
Sioux Falls, South Dakota	61.0	42.35	64.7%	89.6%	25.3%	6.2%	48.5
Honolulu, Hawaii	60.8	41.95	54.9%	87.5%	23.1%	7.2%	60.0
Salt Lake City, Utah	60.0	41.12	65.1%	86.4%	24.6%	5.7%	69.0
Amarillo, Texas	59.9	43.10	54.1%	91.2%	19.6%	4.8%	61.5
Houston, Texas	59.7	44.35	49.2%	85.9%	23%	4.8%	65.0
Seattle, Washington	59.5	43.30	61.8%	84.4%	21.3%	5.7%	65.5
Anchorage, Alaska	59.4	43.90	59.5%	80.8%	23%	7.7%	57.0
Charlotte, North Carolina	59.2	43.92	54.9%	87.8%	22.1%	4.5%	62.0
Fort Lauderdale, Florida	58.7	44.52	56.5%	88.0%	23.6%	3.4%	60.0
Omaha, Nebraska	58.7	41.75	57.3%	86.9%	22%	7.7%	55.5
San Jose, California	58.5	42.53	62.1%	89.8%	20.4%	4.4%	63.5
Chicago, Illinois	58.1	44.48	53.5%	86.7%	17.9%	5.4%	60.0
Corpus Christi, Texas	57.1	43.48	48.9%	92.1%	20.7%	4.8%	52.0
Boston, Massachusetts	57.1	43.58	58.8%	84.9%	21.2%	6.1%	56.5
Miami, Florida	57.0	45.13	53.0%	90.0%	16.4%	3.4%	60.0
Columbus, Ohio	56.7	41.58	55.1%	84.7%	21%	6.5%	70.5
Phoenix, Arizona	56.7	43.45	55.3%	88.8%	20.6%	4.0%	62.5
Nashville, Tennessee	55.8	43.12	57.8%	85.8%	24.2%	3.8%	66.0
St. Louis, Missouri	55.4	42.57	55.0%	88.5%	20.4%	5.5%	58.0
Wichita, Kansas	55.4	41.98	53.0%	85.7%	19.5%	7.0%	62.5
Minneapolis, Minnesota	54.8	41.08	62.7%	83.2%	23.1%	6.9%	64.0
Oakland, California	54.7	43.53	59.6%	85.3%	20.4%	4.4%	63.5
Kansas City, Missouri	54.6	42.93	53.4%	87.6%	21.2%	5.5%	56.0
Boise City, Idaho	54.5	41.23	57.9%	87.7%	19.2%	5.4%	68.5
Des Moines, Iowa	53.8	42.23	54.7%	86.2%	18.3%	7.0%	57.5
Little Rock, Arkansas	53.8	42.67	46.7%	90.9%	22.6%	4.1%	58.0
Reno, Nevada	53.3	41.83	54.9%	86.9%	19.5%	5.0%	68.5
Atlanta, Georgia	53.2	44.28	53.7%	85.4%	19.6%	3.9%	63.5
Baltimore, Maryland	52.2	43.50	46.4%	88.0%	19%	5.0%	57.5
San Diego, California	52.2	41.83	55.9%	87.8%	19.4%	4.4%	67.5
Raleigh, North Carolina	52.1	42.45	60.2%	86.0%	22.4%	4.5%	60.0
San Antonio, Texas	52.0	43.30	50.4%	85.7%	19.6%	4.8%	63.0
Jacksonville, Florida	50.9	43.67	50.8%	88.1%	18.9%	3.4%	61.5
Los Angeles, California	50.7	43.03	57.4%	84.0%	22.6%	4.4%	61.0
Fort Wayne, Indiana	50.5	42.28	52.4%	87.9%	18%	5.3%	59.0
Las Vegas, Nevada	50.2	43.42	50.3%	87.2%	17.8%	5.0%	56.0
Grand Rapids, Michigan	49.7	41.93	55.5%	87.6%	18.4%	5.0%	60.0
Tulsa, Oklahoma	49.7	41.48	48.7%	83.8%	22.6%	5.8%	66.5
Richmond, Virginia	49.0	41.55	52.6%	84.4%	20.5%	5.7%	64.0
Lincoln, Nebraska	49.0	40.28	60.8%	86.0%	22.1%	7.7%	47.5
Orlando, Florida	48.9	43.97	58.5%	85.5%	19.8%	3.4%	57.0
Indianapolis, Indiana	48.5	42.70	55.7%	83.4%	20.3%	5.3%	59.5
Louisville, Kentucky	47.5	42.98	54.2%	84.6%	19.2%	5.2%	55.0
Sacramento, California	47.2	41.97	54.6%	86.7%	14.9%	4.4%	68.0
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	47.1	43.65	49.7%	83.9%	17.9%	5.8%	53.0
Lexington, Kentucky	47.0	41.62	58.1%	82.8%	23%	5.2%	60.5
Baton Rouge, Louisiana	46.4	41.40	42.7%	85.6%	22%	4.7%	67.5
Riverside, California	46.3	42.17	56.7%	86.8%	16.3%	4.4%	61.0
New Orleans, Louisiana	46.0	42.52	45.4%	84.6%	21.4%	4.7%	61.0
Winston-Salem, North Carolina	45.7	42.85	42.6%	86.5%	18%	4.5%	61.0
Toledo, Ohio	45.2	41.53	44.3%	83.7%	17.6%	6.5%	63.5
Tampa, Florida	44.5	43.30	53.5%	86.6%	18.6%	3.4%	55.0
Memphis, Tennessee	44.3	42.28	44.0%	85.7%	22.4%	3.8%	61.0
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	43.8	41.22	47.8%	84.4%	15.8%	6.8%	60.0
El Paso, Texas	43.6	43.03	48.0%	87.4%	16.2%	4.8%	50.5
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	42.1	41.20	52.2%	83.3%	19.9%	5.8%	57.5
Albuquerque, New Mexico	41.8	41.98	48.3%	88.2%	18.3%	4.1%	53.0
Cincinnati, Ohio	41.4	41.37	46.5%	81.9%	20.2%	6.5%	57.0
Spokane, Washington	41.1	40.90	53.3%	83.5%	16.4%	5.7%	62.5
Providence, Rhode Island	39.4	40.53	54.0%	84.6%	16.5%	6.1%	55.5
Madison, Wisconsin	38.7	39.72	56.8%	84.7%	18.9%	6.8%	49.5
Greensboro, North Carolina	36.8	40.63	52.3%	83.5%	18.8%	4.5%	61.0
Birmingham, Alabama	36.4	42.58	40.7%	83.6%	18.8%	3.6%	59.0
Cleveland, Ohio	35.9	41.55	38.7%	82.1%	15.2%	6.5%	57.0
Tucson, Arizona	29.7	40.53	46.1%	85.3%	17.2%	4.0%	52.0
Buffalo, New York	27.1	39.60	45.2%	83.8%	17.5%	4.4%	55.5
Tallahassee, Florida	24.4	38.95	51.9%	84.2%	22.6%	3.4%	48.0
Detroit, Michigan	24.3	42.28	32.8%	77.1%	13.5%	5.0%	60.5
Average	51.4	42.53	53.4%	86.0%	20.2%	5.2%	60.9

Tips for working long hours

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 over 75 of America's biggest cities. We found data for six 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	4.5
% of workers that work 50+ weeks per year	U.S. Census	4.5
Google Trends Search Volume for "Side Hustle/Side Job"	Google Trends	4
% of workers in each city's state with two or more jobs	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics	3
% of households where two or more people have jobs	U.S. Census	2
% of active workers aged 65+	U.S. Census	2