These are the hardest-working cities in the US
The average U.S. worker puts in 1,779 hours per year
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Anchorage, Alaska, while known for trails, wildlife and glaciers, has just been dubbed the hardest-working city in America, according to a new survey.
With a score of 80.07 out of 100, the city represents the population with the strongest work ethic compared to other cities across the nation, according to WalletHub.
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The personal finance website compared the 116 largest cities across 11 key metrics, from employment rate and average weekly work hours to the share of workers with multiple jobs.
The data underscored how Americans put more hours into their jobs compared to "several other industrialized countries," according to WalletHub.
The average U.S. employee spends 1,779 hours working per year, equating to about 25% more hours than their counterparts in Europe.
For instance, Americans work about 135 more hours than the average worker in Japan, about 241 more than any worker in the U.K. and 393 more than a worker in Germany, according to WalletHub's estimates.
However, the coronavirus pandemic only exacerbated the number of hours Americans spent working.
"Health care workers have had to work long hours fighting the public health crisis, educators have had to work extra devising online learning strategies," said John Budd, a professor at the University of Minnesota.
Budd said some "might be working more because remote work has blurred the lines between work and family."
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At the same time, a vast majority of Americans "have lost their jobs and are struggling to find any work and thus do not show up in statistics on hours worked," Budd said.
After Anchorage is Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, with a score of 77.21. At No. 3 is Virginia Beach, Virginia (75.46), followed by Washington, D.C., (75) and Irving, Texas (74.49).
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By contrast, the least productive cities were Detroit (32.12), Burlington, Vermont (33.38), and Buffalo, New York (34.53).
Regardless, the amount of hours worked doesn't necessarily translate into productivity, according to Budd.
"In fact, experiments have found the opposite," he said. "Organizations should focus more on results than on counting or monitoring hours and should give employees more autonomy to do their work in ways that they personally find most productive."