OFFICE BLUES

BURNOUT INDEX — 50 METROS

Where the grind is worst

A 0–100 burnout-pressure score for 50 US metro areas, built from what people earn versus what it costs to live there, how long they commute, and how tight the job market is. Higher means more pressure on workers. How this is built →

As of 2026-08-17, the highest burnout pressure in the US is New Orleans-Metairie, LA at 39/100, followed by Tucson, AZ (39), Cleveland-Elyria, OH (38). The lowest is Columbus, OH at 24. Scores across all 50 metros run 24–39.

  1. #1 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 39/100
  2. #2 Tucson, AZ 39/100
  3. #3 Cleveland-Elyria, OH 38/100
  4. #4 Memphis, TN 37/100
  5. #5 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 36/100
  6. #6 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 36/100
  7. #7 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 35/100
  8. #8 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 35/100
  9. #9 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 35/100
  10. #10 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 35/100
  11. #11 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 34/100
  12. #12 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 34/100
  13. #13 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 34/100
  14. #14 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 34/100
  15. #15 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY 34/100
  16. #16 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 33/100
  17. #17 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 32/100
  18. #18 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC 32/100
  19. #19 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 32/100
  20. #20 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA 32/100
  21. #21 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 32/100
  22. #22 Jacksonville, FL 32/100
  23. #23 Birmingham-Hoover, AL 32/100
  24. #24 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 31/100
  25. #25 Oklahoma City, OK 31/100
  26. #26 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 30/100
  27. #27 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 30/100
  28. #28 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 30/100
  29. #29 Pittsburgh, PA 30/100
  30. #30 Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT 30/100
  31. #31 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 30/100
  32. #32 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA 29/100
  33. #33 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 29/100
  34. #34 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 29/100
  35. #35 Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX 29/100
  36. #36 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 28/100
  37. #37 Rochester, NY 28/100
  38. #38 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC 27/100
  39. #39 St. Louis, MO 27/100
  40. #40 Cincinnati, OH 27/100
  41. #41 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 27/100
  42. #42 Providence-Warwick, RI 27/100
  43. #43 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 27/100
  44. #44 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA 27/100
  45. #45 Richmond, VA 27/100
  46. #46 Kansas City, MO 26/100
  47. #47 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 26/100
  48. #48 Raleigh-Cary, NC 25/100
  49. #49 Salt Lake City, UT 25/100
  50. #50 Columbus, OH 24/100