The Best—And Worst—States for Work-Life Balance, Mapped

Work-life balance can be an important part of keeping your professional life from encroaching on your personal life, giving you peace of mind and an additional level of happiness when you have enough free time to do what you enjoy instead of working.

But work-life balance can get out of whack if your professional life becomes too overwhelming, especially if you live in a state that encourages you to put your professional work before anything else. And you wouldn't feel alone if you believed your work was affecting your time outside of the office. One survey by the Society of Human Resource Management found that 51% of American workers feel used up by the end of a workday, while 44% are burned out at work.

That's more evident in some states compared to others, according to a survey by Remote. The company reviewed different factors such as average hours worked per employee, number of sick days allowed, annual leave, minimum wage, healthcare, and more to determine just how overworked some states are. Do you agree with the states that have the best and worst work-life balance?

Northeast and West states provide the best balance

If you want to live in a state that provides a good work-life balance, you may want to search for a job in the Northeast or the West.

Maine topped the list of states with the best work-life balance. The state has a required number of sick days and annual leave for workers, as well as a good minimum wage, with workers making a minimum of $14.15, according to Remote. An average workweek for Maine workers is 39.2 hours.

Second-place Washington also has a strong minimum wage as it's one of only two states with a minimum wage that's at least $16 (the other is California). The state is also one of only seven states with paid maternity leave, and every state with paid maternity leave is in the top 10 best states for work-life balance.

Illinois landed in third place as one of only two states in the top 10 that are outside the Northeast or West. It landed in that spot due to required annual leave and sick days, among other factors. The state has a minimum wage of $15 and ranked higher on the Happiness Index than Maine and Washington.

The top 10 states that have the best work-life balance, according to Remote, include:

1. Maine
2. Washington
3. Illinois
4. Connecticut
5. Massachusetts
6. Nevada
7. New York
8. Oregon
9. California
10. Colorado

Southern states have the worst balance

States in the South fared worse than their northern counterparts when it came to poor work-life balance.

Louisiana led the way as the state with the worst work-life balance, followed by second-place Mississippi and third-place Alabama. A big factor for all three was a low minimum wage as well as no required annual leave or sick days. In fact, the eight states that have the worst work-life balance have zero annual leave or sick days and a minimum wage that sits at the federal minimum of $7.25.

Other factors contributed to Louisiana taking the worst spot on the list. The state came in last place on the Happiness Index included in Remote's calculations. It also had the worst average hours per week, with employees working an average of 44.30 hours per week.

The worst 10 states in the U.S. for work-life balance, according to Remote, include:

1. Louisiana
2. Mississippi
3. Alabama
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Kentucky
8. Wyoming
9. Arkansas
10. Tennessee

More State-By-State Data: