The States With the Longest—And Shortest—Workweeks, Mapped

Workers across the country may work longer than the typical 40 hours in a week, depending on the different requirements of their positions. There are also plenty of part-time jobs that don't hit nearly that number of hours on a given week. Then there are a host of different variables in a week depending on your position, such as trying to hit a specific deadline or cutting down your hours on a holiday week.When all those things are considered, you may be surprised to find out that the average workweek isn't 40 hours. In fact, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that no state has an average workweek of more than 40 hours. But some states do have longer hours than others. Is yours one of the hardest-working states?Average Weekly Hours Worked in 2026 Map | Visual Capitalist/VoronoiEnergy Sectors Affect WorkweekThe energy sector plays a major role in the number of hours worked each week in some states. Positions in the energy sector usually require shift work or continuous operations, leading to full-time schedules with long work hours. Jobs in industries like oil and gas, resource extraction, or manufacturing lead to workweeks that are the longest in the United States.The oil and gas industry, for example, is a key sector for states like Louisiana, Texas, and Alaska. West Virginia employs workers in oil and gas as well as the coal industry, which relies on long work hours.Alabama relies on additional work hours due to manufacturing positions. The state is in the top five nationally for automotive production.RankStateAvg. Weekly Hours1Louisiana36.32Texas35.93Alabama35.84District of Columbia35.45Alaska35.3Standard Schedules Sink Weekly HoursJay Yuno/GettyImagesJobs in industries like finance, healthcare, education, tourism, and professional services tend to have standardized schedules, which help reduce the average number of hours in a workweek for workers in certain states.One of Delaware's biggest industries is business and financial services, with institutions like Bank of America, Capital One, and JPMorgan Chase having a major presence in the state.Minnesota is another state that may have a shorter workweek due to jobs in healthcare and the professional sector. The state serves as the headquarters to a variety of consumer-based companies including General Mills, 3M, Best Buy, and Target. The state is also known for its healthcare industry, with UnitedHealth Group calling the state home. Rochester, Minnesota, is also well known as the main campus for the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, which has operated in the state for more than 100 years.Hawaii's largest industry is tourism, with around 20% of the state's economy relying on visitors to boost a variety of service-sector jobs. Almost 200,000 jobs on the islands are either directly or indirectly supporting the tourism industry.RankStateAvg. Weekly Hours51Delaware32.450Hawaii32.549South Dakota32.648Minnesota32.747Maine32.7Work Hours Can Add UpAndreyPopov/GettyImagesLouisiana's 36.3 hours a week compared to Delaware's 32.4 hours a week may not seem like a big difference, but those hours can add up over time.Doing the math, the difference between the two states in an average year comes to around 200 hours overall. And if you assume that a workweek for a typical worker is 40 hours a week, then 200 hours is equivalent to five additional 40-hour weeks. That could be a lot of work—and a lot of money—that can add up over the year.More Like This: