On Monday, I posted an article which ranked the top 5 states with the best work-life balance in the nation. Many were surprised to learn that Nevada ranked third! If you work your tail off at your job and you don’t have much leisure time, then you probably did not agree with that ranking.
However, those were the facts according to an article written by Assaf and posted on SolitaireBliss.com. They analyzed data provided by the 2021 American Time Use Survey. Per Assaf’s article: “To qualify, respondents had to be employed, report time working, and have been interviewed about weekday activities. States with five or fewer respondents—Alaska, Delaware, and South Dakota—were disqualified.” I guess the people in those states did not have much leisure time to respond to a phone or online survey.
Anyway, here’s how they came up with their rankings. They determined the average number of hours people in a state spent working. Surveyors gathered information such as the amount of time spent at the job, the time spent working from home, and travel time to and from work.
To determine the average number of hours respondents spent on leisure activities, surveyors gathered information on relaxing, socializing, playing sports, exercising, recreational activities, and the time spent traveling to and from social and sporting events.
Once they came up with the average number of hours worked by the respondents in a state, they divided that figure by the average number of hours spent doing leisure activities to come up with a final “Work-to-Leisure Ratio.” And, that’s how they finalized the rankings.
Incidentally, the number of hours we sleep was not included in the “Work-to-Leisure Ratio” rankings. However, the survey did determine that respondents in most states surveyed reported getting eight or more hours of sleep per night. If you would like to review the full report on SolitaireBliss.com, CLICK HERE.
So, which states have the worst work-life balance? Let’s see the results!
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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.
5) New Mexico
Assaf’s article reports: “You’d think the Land of Enchantment would have an enchanting amount of leisure time, but New Mexico came in as the state with the fifth worst work-life balance. Residents work an average of 48 hours per week, have 2.53 hours of leisure per weekday, and sleep 8.1 hours per night.”
4) Rhode Island
Check out his interesting fact from the report: “Rhode Islanders spend more time on the job than anyone else on our list, with an impressive 51.2 average work hours per week. They seem to carve their leisure time (2.66 hours per weekday) from their dream time, as residents report an average of only 7.32 hours of sleep.”
3) Tennessee
I have had a few friends leave Nevada for this state recently, but here’s what Assaf’s article says: “While working as many hours (44.55) as those in the state with the worst balance, Tennessee residents appear to prioritize relaxing over snoozing. They still get enough sleep (8.01 hours on average), but squeeze in a few extra minutes of weekday leisure time (2.26 hours) than do Idahoans.”
2) Iowa
Iowans work even more (48.92 hours per week) than Idahoans, but they also find a little more time for leisure (2.44 hours per weekday). Although state residents report a respectable 8.24 hours of sleep per night, their poor overall work-life balance earns them second place on our list.”
1) Idaho
Our neighbors to the north are workaholics apparently. The SolitaireBliss.com article explains: “No one reports less free time than Idahoans, with an average of 1.98 hours of leisure per weekday. Residents of the state with the worst work-life balance spend an average of 44.52 hours per week on the job, but at least they sleep a solid 8.47 hours per night.”
