Gov. Gretchen Whitmer insists Detroit “is all about grit and hard work,” but a recent analysis of the Hardest-Working Cities in America came to a much different conclusion.
“Detroit is the epitome of grit, defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and better their communities,” Whitmer said in an October Facebook video attacking President Donald Trump. “Detroit’s hard work and hustle put the world on wheels, and built the middle class.”
While it’s indisputable that the Motor City played a key role in bringing the automotive industry to life a century ago, an analysis by WalletHub found nearly all large U.S. cities are outworking Detroit in 2025.
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In an effort to determine the Hardest-Working Cities in America, the personal finance website examined 116 of the largest U.S. cities across 11 key metrics, from the employment rate to average weekly work hours to the share of workers with multiple jobs.
“Hard work is the backbone of America’s economy and a big reason why the country has become so successful, as Americans outwork people in many other developed economies. In addition, between 40% and 64% of Americans leave at least some of their allotted vacation time on the table, depending on the city,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
“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,” he said. “It’s important for people to figure out how to work hard without overworking.”
Researchers complied the data to produce an overall ranking of the hardest working cities, as well as sub-rankings for direct work factors and indirect work factors.
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Direct work factors, which accounted for 80% of the overall ranking, included things like average workweek hours, employment rate, share of households where no adults work, vacation time used, share of engaged workers, and rate of idle youth aged 16-24.
The indirect work factors included average commute time, share of workers with multiple jobs, annual volunteer hours per resident, participation in local groups and organizations, and average leisure time per day.
Overall, Detroit ranked second to last nationally, behind only Burlington, Vt.. That was based largely on the city’s direct work factors rank, which was also 115th. Detroit ranked 80th for indirect work factors.
The top 10 hardest working cities included Anchorage, Ala.; Washington, D.C.; Irving, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Austin, Texas; Denver, Colo; Virginia Beach, Va., San Francisco, Calif.; and Arlington, Texas.
The bottom 10 included Burlington; Detroit; Buffalo, NY; Newark, N.J.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Toledo, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Providence, R.I.; Fresno, Calif.; and Columbia, S.C.
An infographic included with the analysis showed Detroit has maintained one of the lowest employment rates in the country since at least 2009.
The findings, unfortunately, are predictable.
A similar analysis of the Hardest-Working States in America published in August found only two states ranked lower than the Great Lakes State overall, with Michigan ranked 48th ahead of New York and West Virginia.
For direct work factors, Michigan came in 48th, which was worse than last place West Virginia, but ahead of New York and Connecticut. Analysts ranked Michigan 33rd for indirect work factors.
Another Best States to Work Index from Oxfam for 2024 showed Michigan slid to 31st among all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia in the annual ranking, down five spots from 2023 in the annual ranking.
The disappointing results came amid a Democratic government trifecta at the time focused on “restoring workers’ rights.”
The analysis considered 27 policies across three categories – wage policies, worker protections, and rights to organize – assigning a score for each category, as well as an overall score.
In all three categories, Michigan was among the bottom half of states, ranked 31st for wage policies, 29th for worker protections, and 27th for rights to organize.
Michigan ranked by far the worst among states where Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s mansion. No states with a Democratic government trifecta ranked in the bottom half, with Delaware ranked the next closest in 20th.
The 2024 Oxfam analysis also included a separate study of the “Best and Worst States for Working Women” that ranked Michigan 26th, again the worst among states under Democratic control.