Find a Job You Really Want In
Are you a workaholic in search of the perfect job? Or perhaps you cherish your free time? Either way, we’ve got insights for you!
Have you ever wondered which jobs demand the longest and shortest work hours? You’re in luck, as we’ve analyzed the latest data to find out.
Using the most recent American Community Survey PUMS dataset, we identified full-time jobs with the longest and shortest work weeks.
Jobs with the Longest Work Weeks
- Derrick Operators – 62.8 hours
- Sailors and Marine Oilers – 59.3 hours
- Boat Operators – 59 hours
- Fishing and Hunting Workers – 57.1 hours
- Miscellaneous Extraction Workers – 56.7 hours
Jobs with the Shortest Work Weeks
- Dental Hygienists – 39.6 hours per week
- Dental Assistants – 39.7 hours
- Teacher Assistants – 39.8 hours
- Occupational Therapy Aides – 40 hours
- Library Assistants – 40.1 hours
Summary of Findings
- Women are significantly underrepresented in the longest hours category, whereas they dominate the shortest work week positions.
- Physical therapist aides rank as the most common occupation for women among the shortest work weeks.
- Women represent only 0.8% of the global driller workforce.
- Three of the top four longest hours positions involve operating watercraft.
- Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, along with roustabouts, average nearly 63 hours per week.
- Dental hygienists (39.6 hours) and dental assistants (39.7 hours) enjoy the shortest work weeks.
- Three military positions are listed among the jobs with the longest hours.
How We Conducted the Analysis
We examined data from the American Community Survey’s PUMS dataset from the most recent five-year period to identify occupations that average the longest and shortest working weeks.
To streamline our findings, we focused on the 14 jobs with the longest hours and 14 with the shortest. Salary data was verified against Data USA to ensure accuracy.
Additional Information
Physicians and surgeons earn an impressive average salary of $216,097, reflecting their rigorous commitment of nearly 2,900 hours per year in life-saving roles.
Conversely, fishers and hunting workers earn around $41,000 for their demanding 57-hour work week, while military tactical specialists make just above $26,000 for over 52 hours weekly.
Food preparation workers and servers, including those in fast food, report the lowest annual pay at just over $13,000, heavily supplemented by tips. Library assistants follow closely with an annual salary of $16,336.
Dental hygienists enjoy a fair compensation of nearly $49,000 for just under 40 hours of work per week.
For More On Securing Your Job, Check Out:
Author
McLeod Brown is a former writer and researcher for the Zippia Career Advice blog. His work at Zippia focused on understanding the relationship between colleges, debt, and jobs. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a BA in Business Administrator, he is now pursuing a masters of science in analytics from the Institute of Advanced Analytics.
