Portland, Maine, Recognized as the Hardest Working City in New England

We here in Portland, and really across Maine, pride ourselves on being a tough, rugged, hardworking individuals. The kind of people who can face down adversity and be productive members of America's workforce.

The good news for Mainers is there's actually evidence to support our hardworking claim.

America's Hardest Working Cities

Wallethub.com, a popular personal finance website, has published its new study on the hardest working American cities. Not only can Portland be found near the top, but it's also the highest ranked New England city on the list.

Portland ranks as the 19th hardest working city in America. That's out of a list of 182 cities that were used in Wallethub's survey. I would have to say a very reputable ranking for Portland, especially with it being the highest in the region.

Portland is New England's Hardest Working Cities

Portland scored a 71.24 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring system is based on two major categories: Direct Work Factors and Indirect Work Factors. These categories are further broken down into 11 subcategories to provide as much detail as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Portland finished with a ranking of 35th in direct work factors. This category includes factors like employment rate, unused vacation time, and average workweek hours. Apparently, Portlanders are prone to working long hours and skipping vacation days. While it may not be the healthiest lifestyle, it certainly supports the city's hardworking reputation.

The city scored even higher in indirect work factors, with a ranking of 18th. This category included average commute time, number of volunteer hours, and the share of workers with multiple jobs. Again, it's no surprise to see Portland performing strongly, especially in areas like volunteering and giving back to the community. This is certainly a great state for that.

Combining all of these factors gives us a great view of just how impressive the Portland workforce is. And, as someone who is a part of that workforce, I can honestly say it's nice to get some appreciation for all the hours we all put in.

Hardest Working Cities Rankings for New England

As I mentioned, Portland was the highest-ranked New England city on this list. Here's a look at how hardworking the rest of the region is.

27. Manchester, NH
43. Boston, MA
109. Providence, RI
112. Bridgeport, CT
116. Burlington, VT

Boy, there are a lot of hippie jokes in there considering Burlington finished dead last. That's right, Burlington finished at the very bottom. That's a tough look, man.

READ MORE: Portland, Maine Recognized as One of the Best Small Cities by CNN

Congratulations to the city of Anchorage, AK, for being named the hardest working city in America. I don't think many people will have an issue with this selection.

You can find the entire list here.