WASHINGTON, DC- APRIL 25: A person is seen in an office building along 13th Street NW on Monday April 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The pandemic has had an effect on some businesses in the DC central business district. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washin …
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Washingtonians are known for long hours and demanding careers — and a new national study suggests the District stands out when it comes to how hard its residents work.
What we know:
The personal-finance company WalletHub released its 2026 Hardest-Working Cities in America report ahead of Employee Appreciation Day.
The study analyzed 116 of the largest U.S. cities across 11 metrics, including employment rate, average weekly work hours, commute time, volunteer hours and the share of workers holding multiple jobs.
Washington, D.C. placed in the top five overall.
How DC stacks up
Among the individual categories, Washington ranked:
- 5th for average workweek hours
- 13th for average commute time
- 11th for average leisure time spent per day
- 20th for annual volunteer hours per resident
- 30th for share of workers with multiple jobs
- 54th for share of households where no adults work
The data suggests that long hours and demanding commutes are key factors contributing to the District’s overall ranking.
Why It Matters:
Americans work an average of 1,796 hours per year — significantly more than workers in many other industrialized nations, according to the report.
For residents of Washington, that workload appears even more pronounced, reflecting the city’s concentration of government, legal, nonprofit and policy-driven careers.
The Source: This article was written using data from WalletHub’s 2026 Hardest-Working Cities in America report.