LABOR DAZE OF A STUDY
NYC gets worked over
New York has a lot of work to do to rise on this list.
Washington, DC, was named the hardest-working city in America — ranking high above New York, which came in at a distant No. 99 on the list of 115 cities ranked by WalletHub.
Destinations including Jersey City and Columbus, Ohio, outranked the City That Never Sleeps, pulling in at 56 and 68, respectively.
“Most everybody in this country are hard workers, but Washington, DC? I mean, they’re hard workers, too, but still,” David Owens, 79, who owns a vintage shop in the Lower East Side, told The Post.
“I’m surprised that NY is number 99. I’m sure most New Yorkers would feel they’re No. 1.”
DC pulled a total score of 76.97 compared to New York’s score of 53.70.
The capital took the crown due to factors such as having the “highest share of workers who leave vacation time unused,” with 64% of workers doing so, according to the study.
Rankers’ reasoning
The study determined a city’s rank based on 11 metrics that were divided into two sections: “Direct Work Factors,” which took up 80% of the score, and “Indirect Work Factors.” The study also included a city from every state.
Some direct working factors included an average number of hours worked per week, employment rate, and shares of households where no adults worked, among others. Indirect factors included those working multiple jobs and average commute time.
The nation’s capital ranked third for highest hours worked per week on average, although the study did not say how many hours that included.
The average American works roughly 35 hours per week, WalletHub said.
Another reason District of Columbia residents ranked high is because many have a commute longer than 30 minutes to the office.
Tale of two commutes
Still, the average commuter in the Big Apple takes more than 60 minutes to get to work, with 15.5% of travelers falling in this category, according to 2022 US Census data. The average travel time is 31.4 minutes.
According to Census data, the average commute in DC is 30.1 minutes, with 21.5% of commuters falling in the 20- to 25-minute range. Compared to New York City, only 7.7% of commuters take more than 60 minutes to get to work.
Irving, Texas, was second on the list, due to having the lowest share of households where no adults work, at 11%, WalletHub said.
Cheyenne, Wyo., was third, where 97% of adults work.
Many Big Apple residents told The Post they disagreed with the rankings.
“I don’t know how it’s possible for NYC to rank so low given how expensive life here is and how long and hard people have to work in order to afford to live here,” NYU professor Zhana Vrangalova, 42, said.
The Post has reached out to WalletHub for comment.