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- Washington, New York, California and Rhode Island rounded out the top five spots.
- Rankings focused on how each state’s businesses value employees’ work-life balance and included factors like paid sick leave, maternity leave and minimum wage.
- Louisiana, Tennessee and South Dakota took the bottom three spots.
Connecticut is the best state in the country for workers looking to achieve an optimal work-life balance, according to results of a new ranking. The northeastern state was joined by Washington, New York, California, and Rhode Island, respectively, in the top five spots.
Global employment experts at Remote ranked the states for work-life balance, based on a range of metrics including minimum wage, sick leave, overall public happiness and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
Findings focused on how businesses in each state look after the lives of their employees and put “life” before work, report authors wrote. They defined “work-life balance” as a harmonious relationship between careers and personal lives, enabling workers to excel at their jobs while preserving overall wellbeing.
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Connecticut was propelled to the top spot thanks to its higher-than-average minimum wage and 12 weeks of statutory maternity leave. The state also received full marks for LGBTQ+ inclusivity and is the only one to offer a 95 percent maternity payment rate, researchers found.
In second place, Washington state boasts the second-highest minimum wage in the country behind California, and is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal income tax.
A high minimum wage, 12 weeks of statutory maternity leave and high LGBTQ+ rights scores also helped push New York to third place.
The COVID-19 pandemic led many American workers to re-evaluate their priorities, evidenced by reports of high workplace burnout and subsequent quiet quitting.
Researchers ranked each state out of 100 to determine which has the most balanced combination of job demands and wellbeing. Maternity leave, health care availability and average working hours per week were also taken into account.
New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts rounded out the top 10 on the list.
Louisiana ranked worst for overall work-life balance and was joined by Tennessee, South Dakota, Alabama and Georgia in the bottom five.
“Healthy life-work balance means people are able to thrive in their careers while feeling rested and able to excel in their personal life just as well,” said Remote CEO Job van der Voort in a statement.
“We’re pleased to see some of the positive results from our study and showcase that balance is being worked on across the United States despite concerns about it being the world’s most overworked nation,” he added.
Compared with other developed nations, workers in the United States are the most overworked, clocking in an average of 1,767 hours per year.
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