Stress Town? Houston Ranks as the 2nd Most Overworked City in All of America

It may only be Tuesday, but in Houston, everybody’s workin’ for the weekend. A weekend that never comes. It turns out that Houston is working too hard. Much too hard.

According to a new report, Houston is the No. 2 most overworked city in the entire nation. Meanwhile, the city with the best work-life balance is San Diego according to the study from security firm Kisi.

Space City’s known for its thriving economy, and it looks like you can credit its exhausted employees with that. Kisi did a comprehensive study, using 20 factors to analyze 40 cities in the United States — think working hours, commuting time, vacation days taken, work intensity, livability and more.

Washington, D.C. was the No. 1 sufferer when it comes to working to the bone, but the stats in The Bayou City are looking pretty darn grim. The average Houston worker’s hours exceed 40 hours a week, at 43.7 hours weekly.

But 15 percent of the Houston workforce toils away for more than 48 hours a week, the highest percentage in the study.

Add a 30 minute commute — each way — and we’re looking at a true time suck. Houstonians barely give themselves a break, only taking nine vacation days each long, tedious year.

You could say the only silver lining is that workers in Houston have a shred more flexibility when it comes to when they’ve got to clock in. Your average Houstonian worker arrives by 9:56 am.

But when it comes to gaining support for those long hours, Houston’s work-life balance is seriously off. The study finds that Houstonians have limited access to institutional and social support, spanning from mental health services to gender equality. In that category, Houston land in the penultimate position at No. 39. Out of 40.

Overall, Houston’s livability, including wellness and leisure, ranks 20th.

The rest of Texas is not that much better. Dallas and San Antonio come in as the eighth and ninth most overworked cities in America, respectively. Austin is a little more chill, ranking 18th in the most overworked study.

But don’t quit and pack up just yet.  The study isn’t designed to determine which cities are the best places to live or work. Instead, think of it as a way for cities to retool their systems and improve the work-life balance of their citizens to avoid impending burnout.

Summer may be ending soon, but it looks like you may be long overdue for a vacation.