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New study reveals state with the best ‘work-life’ balance, where they work less than 34 hours a week
It would appear that some states value downtime a lot more than others, according to new calculations on how each area approaches its work-life balance ratio.
The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in a new wave of working-from-home culture, as generations of workers across the globe discovered the joys of clocking in from the comfort of their own homes – a new experience for many. It has been said that the Covid transition made many people appreciate their work-life balance more, thanks to the flexibility that is often attached to WFH. So, four years on from the start of the pandemic, which workers in the US are actually enjoying a healthy work-life balance?
New study reveals state with the best work-life balance
In a study led by the online workplace productivity platform Plus Docs, it was claimed that the state with the best work-life balance in the US is Massachusetts, where employees work just 33.8 hours per week, on average.
In order to calculate which state had the best work-life balance, Plus Doc used statistics from the Bureau of Labor in order to discover how much workers were earning on an hourly and weekly basis in each state, and combined these totals with the number of hours they working to give each region a work-life balance score out of 100.
It was found that workers in Massachusetts are earning $39.92 per hour on average, which totals $1,329 per week each at 33.8 hours – leaving the state with a score of 60.29.
The runners-up were Washington and California who respectively have the second and third best work-life balances – with workers in Washington working 34.8 hours for a total of $1,313.70 and Californian staff completing 34.5 hours of work for $1,291.68 each week, on average.
- PRICEY: Data reveals Americas most expensive states for college, where fees set students back $31,000 a year
Which state has the worst work-life balance?
Conversely, on the other end of the scale, it was shown that the Magnolia state has the worst work-life balance in the US.
According to the data, workers in Mississippi are working an average of 34.6 hours per week for an hourly wage of just $23.98, leaving them with a weekly wage slip totaling $829.71 – some $500 less than Massachusetts.
This combination left Missippi with a score of just 0.19/100, which was dwarfed significantly by even the second-lowest ranking state, Arkansas, where workers contribute the same amount of hours as those in Missippi, for the marginally higher rate of $25.74 per hour – leaving the state with a score of 7.50.
New Mexico was the only other state with an index score in the single digits (9.79), with its workers clocking in for a meager 33.6 hours per week, but being compensated just $27.04 on average for their efforts – resulting in a total weekly pay of $908.54.
How much are Americans working on average?
According to figures published by statistics hub Statista, the number of hours worked per week is on an average downward trend in the US.
Their reports show that in February 2022, the average US citizen was working around 34.7 hours per week – but by two years later in February 2024, this figure had fallen to 34.3 hours.
Findings from the Harvard Business School suggest that a positive work-life balance is conducive to a healthy mental state and increased productivity.
A report of theirs published in 2022 found that companies who had employed more flexible structures in the hope of improving employees’ work-life balance noticed several key differences: “After nine months workers reported that they were better able to deal with work/life challenges. Supervisors found the changes to be manageable and said that they had improved associates morale and productivity.”
The report went on to add: “Best of all, instead of costing the chain money, the changes increased sales by 7% and labor productivity by 5%.”
