Movoto Blog (a real estate blog) recently listed the Top 10 hardest working cities in America. The data is based on number of people working full time, unemployment rate, commute time and number of residents in a household who hold a job. Here’s the list:
- Miramar, FL
- Corona, CA
- Mesquite, TX
- Olathe, KS
- Grand Prairie, TX
- Alexandria, VA
- McKinney, TX
- Pembroke Pines, FL
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Hampton, VA
I’m sure a lot of time and research was put into this list. I also don’t believe any of these cities have the hardest working people!
Here’s my criteria of how to find the hardest working workers in America:
1. Don’t look in California. I like California, the weather is great, but let’s be real, no one truly believes the hardest working people live in California. That eliminates numbers 2 and 9.
2. Texas is big and friendly – but if you’re looking for hard working you don’t need to look at Texas suburbs, or any suburbs for that manner. That eliminates numbers 3, 4, 5 and 7.
3. No one really works that hard in South Beach, which eliminates numbers 1 and 8.
4. If you work for the government, or are connected to the government, clearly hard work is missing. This eliminates most workers in number 6.
5. If you live within 3 miles of a beach, or work in a beach community you really don’t work that hard. This eliminates our last city at number 10.
So, what is fundamentally wrong with this list? The theory that a low employment rate in a city would equate to hard working workers. This is a completely no causation with these two things. Also, that commute time equates to hard working, if anything I could argue long commute times lead to less hard work because the worker believes that their commute time is part of their work time.
So, what cities do have the hardest workers? That’s easy! Think of the crappiest places ever you would not want to live! If you’re working in Gary, IN, you really want to work! If you’re working in Fairbanks, AK in the dark and cold for most of the year, you have work high ethic! If you show up to work in any city where there is good chance you’ll see gunfire throughout your shift — Bingo — you’re a hard worker! If you work in a company and in a position where daily you might lose your life or a hand, you’re a hard worker!
Want really hard working people for your company? Find the worst places in the world to work, and recruit those workers. They’ll love you, they’ll show up each day and they’ll work their butts off. Want some workers who have to leave at 4pm to make their 10U soccer coaching gig, or don’t show because the surf is up, or just feel like they should use one of their 47 PTO days — you might not have such good luck on the hard working side!