Irving is among the top five hardest-working cities in the nation, according to a new WalletHub study, followed by Plano at No. 9 and Dallas at No. 10.
The WalletHub 2022’s Hardest Working Cities in America ranked Anchorage, Alaska at No. 1, Washington, D.C. at No. 2, Virginia Beach, Virginia at No. 3, San Francisco, California at No. 4, and Irving, Texas at No. 5.
“One of the advantages is that [the hardest-working cities] have large percentages of engaged workers, which means people are satisfied with their jobs,” said Jill Gonzalez, an analyst with the WalletHub study. “On the downside, these cities also have a low amount of average leisure time spent per day.”
The WalletHub study found that the average leisure time spent per day is 330 minutes for all Texas cities.
“The average leisure time spent per day was included as an indirect work factor,” Gonzalez said. “Our analysts and experts believe that this is an important metric in establishing the hardest-working cities. The cities whose residents spend less time socializing, relaxing or exercising are considered more hardworking.”
North Texans work about 40 hours a week, and less than 4% of workers have multiple jobs, according to WalletHub study data.
“We don’t have a clear indication that North Texas workers could be overworked,” Gonzalez told The Dallas Express. “More than half of the employed people leave vacation time unused.”
The WalletHub study also found that the average workweek hours in Irving and Dallas are 40.4 compared to 39.9 in Plano.
“All three cities have a high number of hours worked per week and a low share of households where no adults work, which is as low as 11.18% in Dallas,” Gonzalez said. “Plus, the percentage of engaged workers is 35, which is among the highest nationwide, and the amount of daily leisure time is one of the lowest.”
On the flipside, Fort Worth lagged at No. 16, followed by Arlington at No. 20, and Garland at No. 21, which Gonzalez chalks up to time on the job.
“Arlington and Garland have shorter work weeks while Fort Worth has a lower employment rate at 95.7% and a higher share of households where no adults work at almost 20%,” she said.
Overall, though, the fact that six North Texas cities ranked among the hardest working nationwide means good news for the Lone Star state’s economy.
“It’s an indication that the labor market is strong and that the economy is thriving,” Gonzalez said in an interview. “People who are satisfied with their jobs have a better quality of life and contribute more to the economy and to society.”
The WalletHub study found that the share of workers with multiple jobs is 3.8% for all Texas cities. Additionally, the commute times for DFW cities were reported as 27.1 for Dallas, 27.2 for Fort Worth, 27.4 for Arlington, 26.8 for Plano, 29.5 for Garland, and 24.2 for Irving.
“The average commute time was included as an indirect work factor,” Gonzalez added. “We considered that people who are willing to go on longer commutes to get to work are more hardworking.”