Our Pine Tree State has emerged as the quintessential embodiment of work-life equilibrium in the United States. Reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Maine takes center stage as the state that's "not too hard-working, not too lazy, but just right."

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To discover where the American spirit is putting in its most effort, the personal finance website WalletHub has released its carefully prepared report titled "2023's Hardest-Working States in America." Using a sophisticated analysis of ten important measures, WalletHub compared these factors among all 50 states. These measures included traditional factors like average workweek hours, as well as interesting aspects like the percentage of people juggling multiple jobs and the number of volunteer hours contributed by each resident annually.

Credit: krakenimages on Unsplash
Credit: krakenimages on Unsplash
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Not stopping at just showing where the hard work was happening the most, WalletHub went a step ahead and divided the evaluation into "Direct Work Factors" and "Indirect Work Factors." This set the stage for uncovering America's genuine work-driven standouts.

Somewhat unexpectedly located in the middle, Maine confidently secured its position at number 25 in the overall ranking. It's almost as if the state deliberately positioned itself, not aiming for the extreme heights of hard work nor falling into the depths of laziness.

Credit: BRUNO CERVERA on Unsplash
Credit: BRUNO CERVERA on Unsplash
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However, when considering the extremes of hard work, North Dakota claimed the esteemed title of the hardest-working state, leading the group. Following closely behind are Alaska, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Conversely, at the other end of this diligent lineup, we find New Mexico, New York, West Virginia, Michigan, and Connecticut, listed in ascending order based on their commitment to hard work.

Credit: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Credit: Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
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In the midst of all these statistics, Maine stands out in another unique way. It secures the third-highest position in the category of Annual Volunteer Hours per Resident. In this, only Utah and Wyoming have managed to surpass us, awarding Maine the bronze medal in this altruistic marathon.

So, that's it. Our Pine Tree State might not be the absolute hardest working, but at least we're not the laziest either. As we mentioned before, it's all about being "just right."

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