The OECD reports that the average American employee works 1,820 hours per year. While this figure isn’t notable on its own, it becomes striking when compared to countries who value a strong work-life balance. Germany and Denmark, for example, clock in approximately 500 hours less annually, at 1,341 and 1,372 hours respectively.
We at Elevate Leadership are consistently looking for ways to help companies improve employee happiness, effectiveness, and engagement at work. Recognizing that many Americans struggle with finding a proper work-life balance, we were curious to explore whether regional patterns across the country could help improve a person’s life inside and out of the office.
To do this, we analyzed thousands of data points across metrics such as commute time, hours worked, job availability, recreation, and more, for the 100 most populous cities in America.
The results formed our 2024 Best Cities for Work-Life Balance ranking. Read on to see our findings.
The 10 Cities With the Best Work-Life Balance
1. Madison, WI
Madison topped our list as the city with the best work-life balance in America. It scored high in every metric we analyzed, including the lowest average hours worked per week at 36.6, and the fewest residents with an hour-long commute at just 2.5%. Madison also boasts a tremendous amount of recreation opportunities, and over 85% labor force participation (percentage of people who actively participate in the workforce).
2. Lincoln, NE
Lincoln is the second best city for those looking for work-life balance in 2024. Lincoln had the 3rd highest labor force participation of any city (86.3%), 7th lowest hours worked per week (37.3), 4th lowest commute time to work (18.9 minutes), and the 10th best affordable housing market (36.7% of annual income).
3. Minneapolis, MN
In third place is Minneapolis - backed by a strong job market and an abundance of entertainment and recreation options to explore. Minneapolis’s job market is particularly attractive. The city had the 4th strongest labor force participation at 85.9%, while ranking in the top 15 for fewest hours worked per week at 37.5. If that’s not enough, Minneapolis also ranks 3rd in the country for bike friendliness.
4. Boise, ID
In fourth place is Boise, Idaho with an overall A+ score. Boise scores particularly high in labor force participation (83.6%), the percentage of workers who commute an hour or more (only 2.7%), and overall average commute time (19 minutes).
5. Buffalo, NY
Looking for better work-life balance in the Northeast? Take a look at Buffalo. The city has the second fewest hours worked per week of any city (36.7), and ranks in the top 20% of all cities for shortest commute time, housing affordability, walkability, and bikeability. The only dim spot was the city’s labor force participation at 72.4%.
6. Tucson, AZ
Tucson ranked as the 6th best city for work-life balance. If the nice weather wasn’t enough, the city scored high in employee-friendly metrics such as the 4th lowest hours worked per week of any city (37). Other bright spots for Tucson were its entertainment and recreational opportunities, bike friendliness, and short commute times.
7. Omaha, NE
Considering a move to Omaha? The city’s affordable housing costs (36.9% of annual income), as well as its short commute times (19.3 minutes on average) were shining spots on our ranking. Omaha’s job market also remained strong, coming in as the 12th best labor force participation in the country at 83.1%.
8. Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh ranks high in entertainment and recreation options, ranking in the top 20% of all cities we studied. It also scores high in fewest hours worked per week (37.8), affordable housing (37.9% of median annual income), and walkability (top 25% of all cities).
9. Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque scored in the top 25% of cities for most of the categories we analyzed. Bikeability? Check. Affordable housing? Check. And most importantly, Albuquerque lands in the top 20 cities for fewest average hours worked per week at 37.9.
10. Columbus, OH
Rounding out our top 10 cities for work-life balance is Columbus, Ohio. Columbus was particularly strong in labor force participation at 81.7%, the percentage of workers with an hour commute (just 3.2%), and affordable housing (38.4% of median annual income).
Methodology
To generate our rankings, we created indices for a number of metrics important for work-life balance. See each specific source below:
Walk Index (5%) & Bike Index (5%)
To gauge both the walkability and bike friendliness of each city, Walkscore data was gathered in January 2024.
Housing Cost as Percentage of Income Index (20%)
This is the median housing cost as a percentage of total income for full-time workers. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent ACS dataset (5 year American Community Survey). We also cross referenced Zumper's housing data.
Hours Worked Per Week Index (20%)
This is the average number of hours a worker in each city works in a week. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent ACS dataset (5 year American Community Survey).
Labor Force Participation Index (10%)
This is the total number of workers in the labor force who were unemployed, divided by the total labor force in each city. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent ACS dataset (5 year American Community Survey).
Hour Commute Index (15%)
This is based on the percentage of workers with a commute longer than 60 minutes. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent ACS dataset (5 year American Community Survey).
Commute Travel Time Index (10%)
This is based on the average number of minutes it takes for a worker to commute to work in each city. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent ACS dataset (5 year American Community Survey).
Entertainment & Recreation Index (15%)
This index was derived from a number of different sources, including the U.S. Census, Tripadvisor, The Trust for Public Land, Numbeo, and Yelp.
- Total number of attractions in each city
- Restaurants per capita
- Total number of coffeeshops
- Hiking trails per capita
- Share of population with walkable park access
- Share of designated parkland areas
- Acres of parkland per capita
- Movie theaters per capita
- Public swimming pools per capita
- Tennis courts per capita
- Public beaches per capita
- Shopping centers per capita
