These Are The 10 Hardest Working Places In Virginia

America has been known as the land of opportunity for as long as I can remember. Itâs the one place in the world where if you bare down and keep your nose to the grindstone, you can make a better life for your family and yourself.

And while everyone in Virginia works hard, thereâs a certain part of the Old Dominion that takes the Puritan work ethic to the extreme â the hardest working places in Virginia .

Whoâs the leader of this work around the clock ethos? That would be Purcellville which takes top honors for the hardest working place in Virginia. People work so hard there they manage to make getting to work a job.

So what other places burn the midnight oil to bring home a large piece of bacon? Youâre going to have to get to the office early and stay late on Fridays to beat out these places in Virginia for a promotion:

So listen up Emporia as we explain how we created this ranking, you could learn some things from the rest of the state.

For more VA reading, check out:

How We Determined The Hardest Working Places In The Old Dominion

Like all problems here at Zippia, we start with the data to answer the hard questions. Some might even consider us the hardest working data-crunchers this side of the Mississippi.

In this particular case, we went to the latest version of the American Community Survey looking for answers. As luck would have it, the Census Bureau just released the 2009-2014 5-Yr Estimate which would make this analysis the first of its kind with the new data.

After scrolling through what seemed like hundreds of criteria, we settled on this set for each State:

Average hours worked
Average commute time
Workers per household (Employed labor force divided by the number households)
Labor force participation rate
Adults with a college degree

Our thinking went something along the lines of: If you spent many years getting a degree, are actively seeking employment, work a ton of hours when employed, and spend forever getting to work, you get the Zippia hardworking stamp of approval.

After we got the data for all 62 places in Virginia, we ranked each place from 1 to 62 for each of the criteria with 1 being the âhardest workingâ.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each to create a hardworking index.

Finally, we crowned the place with the lowest hard working index the âHardest Working Place In Virginiaâ. And, at the end of the day, Purcellville had its hard work pay off.

Read the detailed chart below to learn a bit more about why each place ranked where it did.

1. Purcellville

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 8,350College Graduates: 53.8%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.7
Workers Per Household: 1.7

2. Vienna

Population: 16,173College Graduates: 65.5%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.6
Workers Per Household: 1.6

3. Herndon

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 24,141College Graduates: 48.7%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.3
Workers Per Household: 2.0

4. Falls Church

Population: 13,074College Graduates: 75.1%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 40.5
Workers Per Household: 1.6

5. Leesburg

Population: 46,211College Graduates: 49.4%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.7
Workers Per Household: 1.8

6. Manassas Park

Population: 14,992College Graduates: 26.3%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.6
Workers Per Household: 1.8

7. Alexandria

Population: 146,422College Graduates: 61.5%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 41.1
Workers Per Household: 1.5

8. Fairfax

Population: 23,507College Graduates: 53.5%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.9
Workers Per Household: 1.6

9. Bridgewater

Population: 5,812College Graduates: 34.8%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 33.1
Workers Per Household: 1.5

10. Christiansburg

Population: 21,427College Graduates: 40.9%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.1
Workers Per Household: 1.3

Detailed List Of Hardest Working Places In Virginia

City	Rank	Population	College Graduates	Average Hours Worked Per Week	Workers Per Household
Purcellville	1	8,350	53.8%	39.7	1.7
Vienna	2	16,173	65.5%	39.6	1.6
Herndon	3	24,141	48.7%	39.3	2.0
Falls Church	4	13,074	75.1%	40.5	1.6
Leesburg	5	46,211	49.4%	39.7	1.8
Manassas Park	6	14,992	26.3%	39.6	1.8
Alexandria	7	146,422	61.5%	41.1	1.5
Fairfax	8	23,507	53.5%	38.9	1.6
Bridgewater	9	5,812	34.8%	33.1	1.5
Christiansburg	10	21,427	40.9%	39.1	1.3
Manassas	11	40,436	29.1%	38.1	1.9
Poquoson	12	12,103	35.8%	39.3	1.4
Virginia Beach	13	445,623	33.5%	40.1	1.5
Charlottesville	14	44,505	49.3%	36.4	1.4
Williamsburg	15	14,401	48.6%	32.0	1.5
Blacksburg	16	43,204	69.3%	31.3	1.5
Harrisonburg	17	50,821	35.6%	33.5	1.6
Warrenton	18	9,774	34.9%	38.3	1.3
Lexington	19	7,114	44.8%	30.5	1.3
Chesapeake	20	228,168	29.4%	39.1	1.5
Suffolk	21	85,477	26.1%	39.8	1.5
Salem	22	25,120	30.7%	36.2	1.3
Culpeper	23	16,968	23.9%	39.5	1.4
Norfolk	24	244,745	25.6%	39.2	1.6
Smithfield	25	8,159	30.9%	40.6	1.4
Fredericksburg	26	26,632	37.7%	36.0	1.4
Radford	27	16,993	34.9%	31.5	1.4
Ashland	28	7,264	23.4%	34.2	1.4
Strasburg	29	6,486	15.9%	39.4	1.2
Winchester	30	27,031	28.1%	37.4	1.3
Staunton	31	24,132	31.5%	37.3	1.2
Newport News	32	181,362	24.1%	38.8	1.4
Woodstock	33	5,164	20.2%	38.4	1.1
Richmond	34	211,063	35.4%	37.0	1.3
Dumfries	35	5,122	12.9%	38.2	1.7
Lynchburg	36	77,626	32.3%	34.3	1.3
Vinton	37	8,129	19.8%	37.7	1.3
Abingdon	38	8,176	32.6%	38.8	1.0
Colonial Heights	39	17,542	19.6%	38.6	1.2
Hampton	40	136,904	23.3%	38.5	1.4
Roanoke	41	97,949	24.1%	38.0	1.2
Covington	42	5,853	9.0%	39.5	1.0
Front Royal	43	14,709	16.6%	38.3	1.3
Portsmouth	44	96,007	19.5%	39.0	1.3
Farmville	45	8,350	31.3%	30.9	1.2
Waynesboro	46	21,177	19.0%	37.1	1.1
Bluefield	47	5,375	20.6%	39.1	1.2
Buena Vista	48	6,683	14.0%	36.6	1.2
Galax	49	6,981	12.4%	38.8	1.1
Pulaski	50	8,993	12.3%	39.0	1.0
Bristol	51	17,595	20.4%	38.7	1.1
Marion	52	5,931	19.0%	37.8	1.0
Big Stone Gap	53	5,559	14.9%	39.6	1.1
Richlands	54	5,698	12.2%	40.3	0.9
Franklin	55	8,534	19.8%	38.2	1.1
Wytheville	56	8,193	20.6%	37.6	0.9
Petersburg	57	32,439	14.9%	38.3	1.2
South Boston	58	8,069	19.5%	37.3	1.0
Hopewell	59	22,375	10.9%	37.8	1.2
Danville	60	42,704	17.2%	37.9	1.0
Martinsville	61	13,745	16.6%	38.5	1.0
Emporia	62	5,682	15.0%	37.2	1.0

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Create Resume