Easy Does it in This New England City, the Laziest in the US

We’re all out here hustling—dragging ourselves out of bed everyday and grinding away at work. Well… most of us. Turns out, America still ranks among the hardest-working countries in the world, which means a lot of us are running on fumes and missing out on things like sleep, hobbies, and the sweet, sweet embrace of doing absolutely nothing.

But how do we actually measure who’s working the hardest—and who’s mastered the art of the extended coffee break? WalletHub did the math, analyzing employment rates, average weekly hours, multiple jobs, volunteering, and even unused vacation days (because who needs time off, right?). They even factored in commute times, because spending half your life in traffic definitely counts as part of the workday, am I right? 

Now, before we start pointing fingers, I should be clear—I don’t see this being about laziness. I think this data just shows that some cities just take “work-life balance” a little more seriously than others. And leading the pack in the chill department? Burlington, Vermont. According to WalletHub, it’s officially the most "relaxed" city in the country.

DRG News backed it up last year while conducting a Fun Facts about Labor Day story, reporting that the average Burlingtonian only works 6.6 hours a day. I don’t know how they pull that off, but honestly, I’m jealous.

On the other end of the spectrum, WalletHub says that Washington, D.C. takes the crown as the hardest-working city in America. Guess when you’re running the country, there’s not a whole lot of time for naps.