Gainesville residents who routinely work overtime and give up their weekends to put in hours at the office can give themselves a pat on the back.
In the latest issue of PARADE Magazine, Gainesville was ranked the No. 6 hardest-working city in America. Columbia, Mo., was ranked as No. 1.
Gainesville beat areas like Dallas and Los Angeles because its residents work more than an average of 36 hours a week and are more willing than most to give up their weekends.
“This ranking is a great indication of the work ethic among the citizens of Gainesville,” Mayor Craig Lowe said. “Now, companies will see that Gainesville is a good place to locate because they will have access to hard workers.”
The rankings were based on four criteria chosen by an editorial team at PARADE. The four categories were average hours worked per week by city residents, residents’ willingness to work during personal time, number of homes where both parents had an income and the city’s employment rate.
Data regarding hours worked, income and employment rates came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. A survey given to a random sample of Gainesville residents by Mediamark Research and Claritas provided data.
Columbia, Mo., earned the No. 1 spot on the list because it kept unemployment rates from increasing during the worst economic downturn the area had seen since the Great Depression.
The fact that Gainesville is home to a thriving university and nationally lauded health care programs helped its ranking, PARADE Magazine editor Maggie Murphy wrote in an email.
Because Gainesville is a research university, many of its professors work long hours and spend a lot of time in the lab.
“People who work at the university are emotionally attached to UF,” UF Spokesman Steve Orlando said. “So that means they are willing to put out extra work to really make it stand out.”
Contact Adrianna Paidas at apaidas@alligator.org.
