on the clock

Austin hustles on new list of top 10 hardest-working American cities

Austinites are the sixth hardest working Americans. Photo by Daydreamer Creative on Unsplash

Central Texas residents living in Austin are truly some of the most industrious Americans in the country, according to a new WalletHub study ranking the "Hardest-Working Cities in America" in 2025.

Austin ranked No. 6 out of the 116 total U.S. cities included in the report.

WalletHub evaluated each city based on 11 key indicators across "direct" and "indirect" work factors, such as an individual's average workweek hours, average commute times, employment rates, and more.

The top five hardest working cities that outperformed Austin are Anchorage, Alaska (No. 1), Washington, D.C. (No. 2), the North Texas cities of Irving (No. 3) and Dallas (No. 4), and Cheyenne, Wyoming (No. 5).

Here's how Austin performed across the six major categories in the study:

No. 5 – Share of households where no adults work
No. 14 – Average workweek hours
No. 14 – Average leisure time spent per day
No. 30 – Employment rate
No. 55 – Share of workers with multiple jobs
No. 58 – Average commute times

Encouraging Austinites to be committed and enthusiastic about their jobs can be a huge boon for the local community, as it means residents are happy with their careers and their employers.

"Hard work is the backbone of America’s economy and a big reason why the country has become so successful, as Americans outwork people in many other developed economies," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

In 2024, Texas proved its tenacity on WalletHub's top 10 list of the most hardworking states in America.

Austin also landed in the No. 2 spot in a different list of the top tech hubs in the South, which just further demonstrates how industrious the capital of Texas is.

But being a hard working American can have its downsides, such as less time at home with families and less time for winding down after a long day, the study says.

"While working long hours, minimizing time off, and having side jobs all lead to increased productivity, they can also have negative effects on people’s physical and mental health," said Lupo. "It’s important for people to figure out how to work hard without overworking."

Between 40 and 64 percent of Americans don't use all of their allotted vacation time, Lupo added, which can negatively affect an individual's mental and physical health.

Other hardworking cities in Texas
Besides Irving, Dallas, and Austin, Arlington also worked its way into WalletHub's top 10 list of the most hardworking American cities, landing in the No. 10 spot.

Six additional Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Corpus Christi (No. 14), Laredo (No. 15), Houston (No. 28), Lubbock (No. 38), El Paso (No. 39), and San Antonio (No. 47).

The top 10 most hardworking cities in America for 2025 are:

No. 1 – Anchorage, Alaska
No. 2 – Washington, D.C.
No. 3 – Irving, Texas
No. 4 – Dallas, Texas
No. 5 – Cheyenne, Wyoming
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – Denver, Colorado
No. 8 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 9 – San Francisco, California
No. 10 – Arlington, Texas

wallethub rankings reports austin

Shelter News

City of Austin adopts new Animal Services plan for better care and more

A new strategic plan lays out goals for improving Austin Animal Center and the City's animal services at large. Austin Animal Center/Facebook

The City of Austin has a new Animal Services Strategic Plan, which aims to improve the shelter system. City Council adopted the plan during a March 27 meeting, and the City laid out next steps in an April 2 release.

The release offers the following synopsis: the goals are "building on ASO’s strong foundation of service, enhancing operations, prioritizing animal welfare, and further strengthening support for Austin’s two- and four-legged community. This plan aligns with the City of Austin's Strategic Plan, ensuring that ASO’s initiatives support the City’s broader goals for a thriving, equitable, and resilient community."

The plan sets forth an immediate implementation from March 2025 to at least 2030. There are six priorities with multiple sub-goals each:

Humane Care: improve both physical spaces and staff training to offer better care to all animals, especially those with behavioral challenges.
Open Intake: Increase shelter capacity and timeliness of intake, and decrease barriers to ownership like pet deposits and weight limits at apartments.
Public Health & Safety: Teach the public about how to interact with animals, lower incidents, and respond faster in emergency cases.
Spay Neuter: Increase the number of spay and neuter surgeries for all animals, whether owned or unowned.
Live Release: Improve relations with the public to increase successful adoptions, return animals to their owners, and more.
Staff & Volunteers: Improve staff conditions to build morale and a more effective team.

The plan was developed by the City of Austin's Office of Budget and Organizational Excellence, plus the Animal Services Office (ASO) and its staff, residents, volunteers, community partners, and the Animal Advisory Commission. It comes after an internal audit and help from an external expert on no-kill policies and practices, which were approved in July 2022.

The audit, published in 2023, found that the City was standing in the way of proper animal care. It examined the cause of Austin Animal Center's restricted intake, the quality of care animals were getting, and whether it was sustainable to expect a live release goal of 95 percent given the current level of support the shelter was offered.

Ultimately, it concluded that these goals conflicted with each other, and the shelter's ability to help was counteracted by overcrowding, poor communication between staff and management, a lack of a strategic plan, and other hindrances.

"The Council’s approval of this strategic plan ensures Austin Animal Services can move forward with key improvements, including expanding access to shelter animal intake,” said Austin City Manager, T.C. Broadnax, upon the adoption of the plan in 2025. “This plan reflects the collaboration and dedication of our community, staff, and partners, and I look forward to seeing its impact as we work to improve services and outcomes for animals and residents alike."

The public also had a tenuous relationship with Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland, who the City placed on administrative leave on March 7. It was later announced that Bland would retire in May, following the leave. Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer Jason Garza has served in his place in the interim.

“The new Animal Services Strategic Plan provides a needed roadmap," said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, "highlighting objectives and opportunities that will build a stronger, more efficient animal services system and prioritizes exceptional service and humane treatment for all of Austin’s animals."

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