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- People in some states have better work-life balance than those living in others.
- New York and Illinois were some of the worst states for work-life balance, while Utah and Vermont were the best.
- The analysis by Lensa Insights was based on commute times, weekly work hours, and Glassdoor ratings.
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Work-life balance has become increasingly important to employees, with 68% of workers in one 2021 survey saying they would rather change careers to improve their work-life balance than get paid more.
While work-life balance often depends on company culture or how an individual chooses to prioritize, people in some states may have a better work-life balance on average than those living in others.
In an analysis by Lensa Insights, the company ranked states' work-life balanced based on average commute times, working hours, Glassdoor reviews, and Gallup's well-being index, which measures factors like financial security and physical health.
The top 10 best states for work-life balance, according to Lensa Insights:
10. Hawaii. The state tops the list on Gallup's Well-Being Index, but has an average commute of around 26 minutes.
9. Iowa. The average work week here is 39 hours and an average commute is around 19 minutes.
8. Delaware. People work 38 hours a week on average and have a 26-minute commute.
7. North Dakota. The state is tied with South Dakota for the lowest average commute time - 17.9 minutes.
6. Nebraska. People work close to 40 hours a week on average, and the state has low overall commute times.
5. Maine. People typically work 38.4 hours a week, and the state has high Glassdoor reviews for work-life balance.
4. Wyoming. The average work week here is 40 hours and the average commute time is just 19 minutes.
3. Montana. Employees work 1.5 hours less than the standard 40-hour work week, and the state has low commute times on average.
2. Vermont. People work around 37.4 hours a week and have below-average commute times. The state also scored the highest for Glassdoor scores, with a rating of 4.05 out of five.
1. Utah. People work just 37.3 hours a week on average, and the state also has one of the highest Glassdoor work-life balance review scores.
The top 10 worst states for work life balance:
10. North Carolina. This state is at the bottom half of Gallup's rankings, but has a moderate commute time and middling Glassdoor reviews.
9. Texas. Texans tend to work 40 hours a week, have an average commute time of around 30 minutes, and fall in the middle of Gallup's well-being rankings.
8. Oklahoma. Oklahomans typically work 40 hours a week and are one of the bottom ten states on Gallup's well-being index.
7. Kentucky. The state is third-lowest on Gallup's list.
6. New York. The state housing the country's financial capital ranks low on Gallup's list and has the highest average commute time - 34 minutes - out of any state on this list.
5. Illinois. Home to the third-largest city in the US, Illinois has a higher-than-average commute time and a low spot on Gallup's well-being list.
4. Arkansas. This state is the second-worst on Gallup's index and has one of the lowest average Glassdoor rating.
3. West Virginia. As one of the poorest states in the US, West Virginia ranks the lowest in the country on Gallup's well-being index.
2. Maryland. People in Maryland have one of the highest average commutes, and the state as a whole has a middling well-being rating.
1. Tennessee. This state clocks in at the bottom spot with one of the worst wellbeing ratings, relatively low Glassdoor ratings, and a roughly 26 minute commute on average.