How much do Fresno residents work? Commute? New study ranks hardest working cities in US
When it comes to work, Fresno is among the most laid-back cities in the United States, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance website recently released its 2025 list of the Hardest-Working Cities in America, ranking 116 large cities based on average work weeks, commute lengths, employment rates, and other measurements.
In the United States, workers clock an average of about 34.1 hours per week, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“While working long hours, minimizing time off and having side jobs all lead to increased productivity, they can also have negative effects on people’s physical and mental health,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a Feb. 25 article. “It’s important for people to figure out how to work hard without overworking.”
Why is Fresno ranked so low among US cities?
Fresno was No. 108 on WalletHub’s list of the hardest-working large cities in the nation with an overall score of 50.2 out of 100, trailing far behind San Francisco and other California cities.
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California in terms of population, with 545,716 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The city has a labor force of 232,820 people with an unemployment rate of 8.6%, according to the California Employment Development Department.
On average, Fresno residents work 37.8 hours per work week, and spend 22.3 minutes commuting to their jobs.
About 4.4% of Fresno residents hold multiple jobs, compared to 5.3% of U.S. residents.
Meanwhile, 25.9% of Fresno households have no working adults.
On average, Fresno residents spend 5.68 hours per day doing sports and leisure activities, above the national average of five hours per day.
How did other California cities rank?
A total of 13 California cities landed on WalletHub’s list, with San Francisco landing at No. 9, the highest of any Golden State city.
Other California cities ranked higher than Fresno on WalletHub’s list, with Sacramento landing at No. 100, Bakersfield at No. 103, Stockton at No. 104 and San Bernardino at No. 105.
What are top 10 hardest-working cities in America?
These were the top 10 cities where people worked the most, according to the latest WalletHub study:
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Washington, DC
- Irving, Texas
- Dallas
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Austin, Texas
- Denver
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- San Francisco
- Arlington, Texas
What are the 10 least hardest-working cities in the US?
These were the 10 U.S. cities where workers were the most laidback, according to WalletHub:
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Fresno
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Toledo, Ohio
- Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Newark, New Jersey
- Buffalo, New York
- Detroit, Michigan
How did WalletHub come up with its findings?
In order to determine which cities outwork the rest of America, WalletHub compared the 116 largest cities across 11 key metrics that included:
- Average workweek hours
- Employment rate
- Share of households where no adults work
- Share of workers leaving vacation time unused
- Share of engaged workers
- Idle youth (16-24) rate
- Annual volunteer hours per resident
- Share of residents who participate in local groups or organizations
WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association and Gallup. Researchers also cited the Social Science Research Council and Corporation for National & Community Service.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
