Where Work-Life Balance Is Best and Worst in the U.S.

How Work-Life Balance Varies Across the U.S.

Where Americans live can shape how much they earn, how much time they spend working, and the protections available when they need time away from work.

This map compares all 50 states using Remote’s 2025 Life-Work Balance Index, which considers factors including average working hours, happiness, inclusivity, minimum wages, statutory leave, and public safety.

Which States Score Highest for Work-Life Balance?

Maine leads the country with a work-life balance score of 69.62, followed by Washington at 64.26 and Illinois at 63.65. Connecticut and Massachusetts round out the top five.

Across all 50 states, the average work-life balance score is 43.81 out of 100.

Rank	State	Score (0–100)
1	Maine	69.62
2	Washington	64.26
3	Illinois	63.65
4	Connecticut	63.07
5	Massachusetts	62.58
6	Nevada	61.37
7	New York	59.46
8	Oregon	59.06
9	California	58.37
10	Colorado	58.26
11	Vermont	55.00
12	Maryland	54.09
13	Rhode Island	52.84
14	New Mexico	51.68
15	New Jersey	51.07
16	Hawaii	49.03
17	Minnesota	48.63
18	Arizona	48.33
19	Michigan	44.80
20	Delaware	43.68
21	New Hampshire	43.16
22	North Carolina	42.63
23	Alaska	42.10
24	South Carolina	42.08
25	Virginia	41.59
26	Utah	41.36
27	South Dakota	40.49
28	Nebraska	40.41
29	Montana	38.56
30	Pennsylvania	38.36
31	Iowa	37.66
32	Wisconsin	37.43
33	Missouri	37.21
34	Idaho	36.36
35	North Dakota	36.00
36	Ohio	35.56
36	Florida	35.56
38	West Virginia	34.91
39	Indiana	34.42
40	Kansas	34.41
41	Tennessee	34.27
42	Arkansas	33.37
43	Wyoming	32.71
44	Kentucky	32.17
45	Georgia	31.99
46	Oklahoma	28.80
47	Texas	28.28
48	Alabama	27.88
49	Mississippi	27.08
50	Louisiana	25.01
—	U.S. State Average	43.81

The highest scores are concentrated in the Northeast and West. Eight of the top 10 states come from those two regions, with Illinois and Nevada the exceptions.

Maine’s top ranking is supported by a broad mix of factors rather than one standout measure. The state provides five statutory annual leave days and five sick days, alongside a $14.15 minimum wage. Its 39.2-hour average workweek is also shorter than in many best-ranked states.

New York ranks seventh and California ninth, both well above average. Both offer paid maternity leave and five sick days, while minimum wages stand at $15.50 in New York and $16 in California. In both cases, stronger worker protections help offset relatively long working hours.

The South Dominates the Bottom of the Ranking

At the other end of the ranking, the geographic pattern is striking. Nine of the 10 lowest-ranked states are in the South, with Wyoming the only exception.

Louisiana ranks last at 25.01, followed by Mississippi at 27.08. Alabama and Texas also sit near the bottom, scoring 27.88 and 28.28, respectively.

Several factors help explain the divide. Many Southern states combine comparatively low wage floors and limited state-mandated paid leave with longer working hours.

Louisiana has the longest average workweek at 44.3 hours, while Texas averages 43.5 hours, among the highest in the country.

Work-Life Balance Is About More Than Working Hours

Alaska offers the clearest example of why fewer working hours do not automatically translate into a higher ranking. Despite having the shortest average workweek in the dataset at 27.7 hours, Alaska ranks just 23rd overall. New Hampshire averages 36.9 hours but ranks 21st.

That matters in a country where Americans work around 1,800 hours per year on average, more than workers in many other advanced economies.

But time on the job is only one part of the equation. Where workers live can also affect the wages, paid leave, safety, and other protections that shape quality of life outside of work.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the best countries for work-life balance.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/where-work-life-balance-is-best-and-worst-in-the-u-s/