Louisiana has the longest average workweek in the U.S. at 36.5 hours, while Delaware has the shortest at 32.0 hours, according to an Aug. 31 LinkedIn post from WalletHub.
The ranking draws on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data from June and shows average hours worked per week by all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The U.S. average is 34.1 hours.
Workweek length carries implications for hospitals and health systems, particularly around burnout and retention. Shortening workweeks without cutting pay has been linked to improved job satisfaction and reduced burnout, according to research published in July 2025. The report found that a four-day workweek at 80% of hours for 100% of pay reduced burnout and improved mental health and job satisfaction across 141 companies compared to a control group.
Some health systems have already tested shortened schedules for nurse leaders. At Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, 43 nurse leaders participated in an optional four-day workweek starting in 2021; 15 months later, job satisfaction rose 6% and work-life balance satisfaction improved 45%.
Still, executives previously told Becker’s in 2024 that a four-day workweek is not a fit for every healthcare role — particularly for hospital coordinators and clinic managers who need to be available across a 24/7 operation. Flexibility, they said, tends to work best when applied at the individual or team level rather than mandated system-wide.
Here are the states with the longest and shortest average workweeks, along with average hours worked per week:
Longest workweeks
Louisiana: 36.5
Texas: 36.1
Alaska: 36.0
Alabama: 35.9
Wyoming: 35.8
North Dakota: 35.8
Oklahoma: 35.5
Kentucky: 35.5
West Virginia: 35.4
Mississippi: 35.3
Shortest workweeks
New Hampshire: 33.1
Massachusetts: 33.0
Maine: 33.0
Oregon: 33.0
Wisconsin: 32.9
California: 32.9
Minnesota: 32.8
New York: 32.7
Hawaii: 32.4
Delaware: 32.0
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