It’s no secret that us Americans are big on working. After all, our work ethic is probably one of the strongest in the world since we practically invented the grind! However, some cities work harder than others—too hard, in fact. Here are 10 cities where overworking is practically the motto & many people feel stressed out. For better or worse, these cities are all about hustling.
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New York City, New York
New York City is where dreams are made—but those dreams come at a price that includes working like there’s no tomorrow. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is a way of life here. The city’s sky-high living costs mean you have to hustle hard to stay afloat. Everyone around you is on the same grind. As such, it’s easy to fall into the trap of working all hours, just to keep up.
San Francisco, California
Over in San Francisco, it feels like the gold rush never ended. But now, they’re mining tech instead of gold and this boom comes with a side of burnout. There’s a lot of intense pressure to innovate & outperform. It’s not unusual for people to work nights and weekends because they’re trying to stay ahead of the curve—even if it means sacrificing their downtime.
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Houston, Texas
Houston, we have a problem—and it’s called overworking. The city’s oil & gas industries are important to the global market so that means big demands on the people who work in them. Odd hours, long shifts & the constant push to meet targets are the norm. Sadly, these leave workers feeling like machines and struggling to find time for anything outside of work.
Los Angeles, California
Welcome to Los Angeles, where the stars are always out and so are the workers. The entertainment industry doesn’t feed itself! Odd hours & unpredictable schedules are normalized, as is the never-ending chase for the next big project. Downtime is just a dream. After all, LA is a city where “I’m on set” could mean any hour of the day—or night.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago has the Midwestern work ethic on steroids, thanks to a mix of industries like finance & manufacturing. There are many opportunities here—if you’re willing to work for them. And by work, we mean really putting in the hours since you can’t just do your job well. You need to go above & beyond by ruining your work-life balance.
Washington, D.C.
D.C. is the nation’s capital and also the capital of overworking. The fate of the country (and sometimes the world) hangs in the balance here and that means the pressure’s on to perform. Long hours are standard while “leaving early” means you’re out by 7 pm. It’s all for the cause. However, that doesn’t make it any easier on your personal life!
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is a smart city and not just because of all those universities. The city’s focus on education & healthcare means that many jobs don’t clock out at 5 pm. Some workers are pushing for the next big breakthrough while others care for patients around the clock. Either way, one thing’s for sure—Bostonians know all about burning the candle at both ends.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta’s becoming a more popular city because of the increase in new businesses setting up here. But with great growth comes great responsibility or, in this case, a whole lot of work. Don’t forget about the city having the country’s worst traffic—it’s one of the major reasons people here have such long days. By the time you get home, you’re too tired to do much of anything else.
Seattle, Washington
Technology is big in Seattle and those grey skies can make it tough to motivate yourself to do anything but work. Many major companies call this city home, including Starbucks and Zillow, so there’s always more to do. It’s no surprise that “Just one more email” becomes an all-nighter before you know it here.
Dallas, Texas
Don’t let the Southern charm fool you—Dallas is big on business. The city’s economy is doing pretty well thanks to the success of the finance & telecommunications sectors. However, many workers in Dallas are just trying to keep up because the city believes “work hard, play hard” should just be “work hard.”
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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