Study Finds Michigan Has The Laziest Workers in the Country—Again

Most of us work hard every single day to provide for ourselves and our families. We watched our parents and grandparents do it too... so this new study might not sit too well with Michiganders.

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Last year I was shocked to see Michigan at the very bottom of WalletHub's "Hardest Working States" ranking. Well, we've come in dead last for the second year in a row. Congrats?

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The study ranked all 50 states based on how "hard-working" they are, using 10 key metrics divided into two main categories: Direct Work Factors and Indirect Work Factors. The stats came from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, Gallup, and more.

WalletHub Hardest-Working States Ranking Breakdown

Here is what they actually looked at:

Direct Work Factors

• Average workweek hours
• Employment rate
• Share of households where no adults work
• Share of workers leaving vacation time unused
• Share of engaged workers
• Idle youth rate for ages 18 to 24

👇BELOW: WORST MICHIGAN COUNTIES FOR DEER CRASHES RANKED👇

Indirect Work Factors

• Average commute time
• Share of workers with multiple jobs
• Annual volunteer hours per resident
• Average leisure time spent per day

Michigan Ranks 50th in Hard Work

So, why did Michigan tank so badly? The state scored just 27.32 overall, came in 50th in Direct Work Factors, and placed 34th in Indirect Work Factors. On top of that, we came in with the 46th lowest employment rate in the entire country.

Meanwhile, South Dakota took the top spot overall with a score of 64.59, heavily boosted by having the highest employment rate in the nation (nearly 98%) and 6.5% of their workers holding down multiple jobs.

READ MORE: Speaking of using your PTO: These Are Michigan's Top Ten Beaches in 2026

Of course, numbers don’t tell the whole story. When you look at what WalletHub measures, a state gets points for things like residents working second jobs, working longer hours, or leaving their hard-earned PTO sitting on the table. There is a lot a calculation like this can’t capture, and maybe Michigan workers are just working in ways the data didn’t measure.