We’re big fans of the nationwide studies that take a few metrics and attempt to rank states accordingly. While their conclusions should not be taken as rock-solid truth, they do spur some discussions.
The latest: New research, undertaken by Lensa, analysed the length of working hours, annual salaries, commute times and Google searches for “burnout” to discover which state can be crowned the most burned out — or overworked.
Under these metrics, New Jersey placed No. 17 in the country — one spot ahead of the state often known for chilling out: Colorado. (Pennsylvania was tied for No. 8; New York was at No. 22.)
The category New Jersey scored highest in (and that’s a bad thing in these rankings) was commute, where the state had the third-longest in the country (behind New York and Maryland). While that isn’t a surprise for anyone who regularly takes our roads, the time on them may be: just 32 minutes.
Once we get to work, we’re apparently not staying there as long as others. New Jersey was not among the Top 10 states for longest average workweek. Alaska, at 41 hours, 36 minutes, beat Wyoming, North Dakota and Texas for that honor.
In case you’re wondering, the Top 5 states for burn out or overwork all are in the Southeast or Southwest:
No. 1: Texas;
No. 2 (tie): Florida;
No. 2 (tie): Louisiana;
No. 4: Tennessee;
No. 5: South Carolina.
