Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, “Michigan workers are the most talented and hard-working in the world,” but a recent analysis of employment data tells another story.

In numerous press releases and public comments, Whitmer has painted Michiganders as among the hardest-working, though the basis for her assertions is unclear.

“Michigan is home to the hardest working people in the world and because of their efforts, we became the arsenal of democracy, put the world on wheels, and built the middle class,” the governor said in a flyer promoting ways she contends her administration is “standing up for working people.”

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A study of the “Hardest-Working States in America” for 2024 released on Monday compared 50 states across 10 key indicators in two categories: direct work factors and indirect work factors.

The analysis from the personal finance website WalletHub looked at data on average workweek hours, households with no working adults, share of workers leaving vacation time unused, commute times, daily leisure time, share of workers with multiple jobs, and other metrics to assign rankings for each category, as well as an overall ranking.

The results show only two states rank lower than the Great Lakes State overall, with Michigan ranked 48^th ahead of New York and West Virginia.

For direct work factors, which accounted for 80% of the overall ranking, Michigan came in 48^th, which was worse than last place West Virginia, but ahead of New York and Connecticut. Analysts ranked Michigan 33^rd for indirect work factors.

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The state’s overall ranking was by far the worst in the Midwest, with the next lowest ranked state of Ohio in 42^nd, followed by Illinois in 40^th, Wisconsin in 33^rd, and Indiana in 24^th.  North Dakota was ranked the hardest working state, while Nebraska was ranked 3^rd, South Dakota was ranked 5^th, Kansas ranked 10^th, Iowa ranked 17^th, Missouri in 20^th, and Minnesota in 21^st.

“It’s undeniable that America has fostered a culture of hard work, with people working longer hours than residents of other developed countries and often leaving vacation time on the table,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. “Working hard is commendable, but people in the hardest-working states may need to consider taking a break once in a while, as a lack of leisure time can have a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health.”

While the WalletHub analysis suggests Michiganders are actually among the least hard-working in the U.S., other data shows they continue to struggle with issues tied to the state’s sluggish economy that are having an impact on their mental health.

A different WalletHub analysis released last month that looked at credit scores, bankruptcy filings, share of residents with accounts in forbearance and other data dubbed Michiganders “the most financially distressed people in the country.”

That report came on the heels of others that show the situation is especially difficult for seniors, single mothers, and others working full time who cannot afford a basic “survival budget.”

“In the last year, 58% of older Michiganders say they’ve cut back on spending 51% say they’ve been impacted by inflation a great deal, 57% say they have felt some or a lot of stress about personal finances, and 15% say they’ve avoided or delayed spending on health care or health-related costs,” according to the University of Michigan’s recent National Poll on Healthy Aging.

The research highlighted the fact that the percentage of Michigan residents over the age of 50 in survival mode is significantly higher than in most states.

A staggering “35% of older Michiganders said they rarely or never have money left at the end of the month, compared with 25% of non-Michiganders.”

Overall, about 200,000 more Michigan residents are living paycheck to paycheck than when Whitmer took office in 2019.

By 2022, the number of Michigan households overall had increased by 2%, but the percentage of them struggling to survive had increased by 13%, according to a United for ALICE report.

ALICE – an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – refers to residents who can’t afford basics like housing, child care, food, transportation and health care, despite many working full-time.

In Whitmer’s Michigan, 41% of the state’s 4 million households live below the ALICE threshold, and that includes more than half in 11 counties: Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, Alger, Luce, Oscoda Iosco, Lake, Clare and Wayne.

For single mothers, the figure is 73%, while it’s 66% for Michiganders under the age of 25, and 51% for residents over the age of 65.