Study: Cities Where People Work the Longest Hours

While hours of operation can vary across career industries and change over time, a 40-hour workweek is still the norm for full-time employees. Without accounting for holidays and PTO, these 40 hours equate to nearly 25% of our year spent at work. But this is not the case for every U.S. worker, as some are routinely clocked in beyond the 40-hour mark each week.

As leaders in online bootcamp education, we at Fullstack Academy prepare students of all professional backgrounds to enter the tech workforce. Often, we hear from our students that they’re looking to change careers for myriad reasons, including increased autonomy and less stress at work. That’s why we set out to learn where people work the longest hours—and which professionals are on the job the most per week. To do this, we collected data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and calculated the average hours worked per week by metropolitan area, occupation, and industry. Read on to learn more about our findings.

Key Takeaways

• Midland, TX, and Odessa, TX, residents work the longest hours per week in the U.S.

• Compared to other U.S. metro areas, Houston, TX, and Dallas, TX, residents work the longest hours.

• Gen Zers in San Angelo, TX, and Virginia Beach, VA, work the longest hours on average.

• By occupation, surgeons work the longest hours on average in the U.S.

• By industry, animal production and aquaculture industry workers clock the longest hours on average in the U.S.

The U.S. Cities Where People Work the Longest Hours

To understand where Americans log the most hours at work, we filtered the data as follows:

First, we eliminated the data of all respondents who are not working a full-time job. From there, we only included data that focused on people who work a minimum of 30 hours per week. With these parameters, we determined that Midland, TX, residents work the longest hours in the U.S. on average. At 47.06 hours per week, residents of the city located in the western part of Texas are working nearly one extra day a week compared to most workers.

In Midland, TX, support activities for oil and gas operations, crude petroleum extraction, and drilling oil and gas wells are the top three trade industries by employment according to the Texas Economic Development Corporation. Although there’s a range of distinct jobs across these fields, Indeed reports that most oil field work involves demanding physical labor and long hours, including 12-hour shifts. These workers may contribute heavily to the long hours worked across the city.

For second place, we remain in Texas: about 20 miles west in Odessa, where the average worker clocks about 45.98 hours weekly. For context: if you worked 48 of the 52 weeks out of the year, this comes to nearly 36 extra days worked in overtime alone.

When analyzing the top industries in Odessa, TX, we discovered a similar trend. Once again, support activities for oil and gas operations ranked first, but were immediately followed by industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers in Odessa. While those working in oil and gas operations typically work during regular business hours, night and weekend shifts are common in these roles, as are occasional requirements to be on call.

In third place is Manhattan, KS, where residents work 45.02 hours per week on average. The city is home to many large companies as well as Kansas State University, and the army installation Fort Riley likely contributes to this statistic.

According to the U.S. Army’s “Intro to Army Life,” the length of an average workday varies depending on your job. Hours can also change based on your current task. They caution those enlisting to be prepared for standard nine-to-five and more strenuous work schedules alike.

The Longest Hours Worked in the Largest Metro Areas

While our initial data focused on all metropolitan areas, we also wanted to learn which of the largest areas are home to the most committed, or, perhaps, the most overworked employees. First on the list is Houston, TX, where residents work an average of 43.59 hours per week. Like its surrounding cities mentioned previously, Houston is home to many workers in the oil and gas industry, but it is also a healthcare hub. As the largest medical complex in the world, Texas Medical Center almost certainly contributes to this number because medical jobs are known for their long shifts.

In second place for large metros is Dallas, TX, and this number doesn’t appear to be due to the oil and gas industry that has ruled in each of the other Texas cities mentioned. Instead, it is the technology and innovation industry that reigns supreme. It’s common for those working for startups or fast-growing companies to find themselves clocking extra hours to support company growth, so this may be a contributing factor.

Rounding out the top three with an average of 43.32 hours each week is Omaha, NE. With agriculture as the largest industry in the city, it is easy to understand where these long hours come from. This seasonal, hands-on work can require extra-long shifts to ensure successful production.

Overall, we found that Santa Maria, CA, and Orlando, FL are home to the hardest-working older Americans, clocking nearly 3 more hours a week than local Gen Zers. This isn’t a trend for the youngest working generation, however. Gen Z workers in San Angelo, TX, and Virginia Beach, VA, for example, work the longest hours on average among residents of the largest metro areas.

Occupations and Industries That Work the Most

We also analyzed weekly hours worked by occupation to learn which jobs require the longest hours.

Up first are surgeons, who work 58.61 hours a week. While some surgeries only require a few minutes, others can last 12 hours or longer. Plus, the hours surgeons spend outside of the operating room—studying, preparing, or communicating with other personnel—can add up to an extra-long work week. Notably, surgeons are well compensated for their time, with a base salary of nearly $300,000.

In second place for the longest hours among occupations are derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators at 57.49 hours per week. And with an average of 54.81 hours worked per week, firefighters claim the third spot for the longest hours among occupations. These roles are integral to infrastructure and public safety, so they’re often required to be available outside of standard working hours. For firefighters, in particular, 24-hour shifts are common. By just working two of these shifts, firefighters complete more than the average American’s work week in just two days.

After analyzing which occupations demand the most working hours, we wanted to learn more about which industries require the most time from their employees overall. Leading the way is animal production and aquaculture, with 53.51 hours worked a week on average.

In second place, we return to a common industry prominent throughout this study: support activities for mining. These workers average 51.72 hours per week. This is followed by two U.S. military branches: U.S. Navy (50.04 hours) and U.S. Army (49.48 hours) in third and fourth place, respectively.

At the number five spot for the longest hours by industry is truck transportation, with an average of 49.44 hours per week. Those who work in this industry are crucial to the economy—ensuring products, supplies, chemicals, and other goods reach their destination in a timely manner. As a result, transporting goods often requires long hours, especially during peak seasons like the holidays.

Start Training for Your Career in Tech Today

While there may be outliers in every industry, it’s worth noting that tech industry professionals are generally not clocking the longest hours in the U.S. according to this study. Tech jobs are also commonly remote or hybrid, offering increased flexibility and autonomy at work. Plus, wiith jobs like AI and machine learning specialists and software and applications developers making the top 5 on the World Economic Forum’s fastest growing jobs by 2030 list, the time is right to change careers.

Explore comprehensive tech training bootcamps with Fullstack Academy and launch a fulfilling career in as little as 10-12 weeks.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn where Americans are working the longest hours each week. To do this, we used the American Community Survey of the 2023 Census to analyze 6.9 million reports from American adults living in 263 major metropolitan areas. Our analysis only includes adults ages 18 and older who are employed full-time, working on average more than 30 hours per week and 40 weeks per year.

Using this data, we identified the metro areas where Americans work the longest and shortest hours on average. We also calculated the areas where older people work harder than younger people based on their number of hours, and where Gen Zers are working the longest hours on average. Similarly, we also found that on men work longer hours on average compared to women, so we discovered where the hours worked among men and women are most equal. Finally, we collected data by occupation and industry to determine the specific roles and fields in which people clock the most and least hours.