A new study has found that Greensboro is one of the best cities in the country in a category that’s not often studied: work/life balance.
According to research based on factors such as average commute time, average hours worked per week, the unemployment rate, cost of living, leisure activities available and other relevant factors, Guilford County is one of the top 25 large cities where residents hit the Goldilocks standard of work versus play – it’s just right.
Greensboro just barely made it into the top 25, but still…
The study was conducted by GObanking Rates, a personal finance company that conducts research on finance related issues, which found that, out of 105 cities studied across the United States, Greensboro came in 23rd in balancing work well with other aspects of life.
Vita DeCeglio, a public relations specialist speaking for the company said Greensboro has very good balance.
“If you live in Greensboro you’re in luck; it’s among the best places for work/life balance,” she said, noting that another North Carolina city, Charlotte, finished in the bottom 25.
DeCeglio said that, based on the data, people in Charlotte don’t seem to have as much fun as those in Greensboro.
According to the study, in Greensboro an employee works an average of 38 hours a week and spends about 20 minutes getting to work. In Charlotte the amount of hours worked is about the same but cost of living, commute time and other factors cause Charlotte to score much lower.
The study looked at data from 105 US cities with at least 100,000 workers ages 16 and older. It matched things like work and commute time to “livability scores” that include school quality, weather and available amenities among other things.
The top three cities were, in order, Madison Wisconsin, Lincoln, Nebraska and Boise, Idaho.
The worst place for work/life balance according to the study was New York City, where people on average work over 39 hours a week and have an average one-way commute time of 40-minutes.
