New research has revealed the Arizona cities with the best and worst work–life balance, as well as how Arizona compares to each state.
The study, conducted by workplace experts OfficeRnD, assessed 1,460 cities in the US with a population of 20,000 or more on six measures of working life.
Each place was given an overall score out of 100 based on its average across average weekly hours, full-time earnings adjusted for local living costs, the share of people working from home, the average commute, the share of commuters leaving for work in the evening or overnight, and paid leave laws within the state.
The Arizona cities with the worst work–life balance
|
Rank |
City |
Work-life balance score (out of 100) |
Average weekly hours |
Median full-time earnings, adjusted for local prices |
Workers who mainly work from home |
Average one-way commute (minutes) |
Commuters leaving for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m. |
|
1 |
Maricopa |
24.7 |
39.7 |
$59,071 |
22.2% |
36.6 |
25.7% |
|
2 |
Buckeye |
25.1 |
40.1 |
$56,847 |
19.6% |
33.3 |
21.0% |
|
3 |
El Mirage |
26.8 |
38.4 |
$47,387 |
14.8% |
30.1 |
20.5% |
|
4 |
Apache Junction |
27.9 |
38.2 |
$51,683 |
13.7% |
28.1 |
22.0% |
|
5 |
Avondale |
28.0 |
39.5 |
$52,518 |
14.8% |
28.1 |
19.7% |
|
6 |
Casa Grande |
29.3 |
39.7 |
$51,942 |
10.8% |
23.3 |
19.4% |
|
7 |
Glendale |
29.7 |
38.6 |
$49,700 |
14.4% |
27.7 |
19.2% |
|
8 |
San Luis |
30.3 |
38.0 |
$42,895 |
6.6% |
26.9 |
14.7% |
|
9 |
Florence |
33.1 |
38.7 |
$55,260 |
28.5% |
30.9 |
27.1% |
|
10 |
Surprise |
33.3 |
39.1 |
$58,803 |
19.5% |
30.2 |
17.1% |
Maricopa has the lowest work-life balance score of the 32 cities in the study, at 24.7 out of 100. Its workers spend 36.6 minutes getting to work each way, the longest commute of any city in Arizona and about 11 minutes longer than the state average of 25.4 minutes. In Maricopa, 25.7% of commuters leave for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m., the second-highest share of evening and overnight starts in the state, against 15.0% across Arizona.
Buckeye is second from the bottom, with a score of 25.1 out of 100, and an average commute of 33.3 minutes each way, the second-longest of the 32 cities, against 25.4 minutes across Arizona. Its average working week comes to 40.1 hours, the second-longest in the state, against 38.7 hours statewide.
El Mirage ranks third from the bottom, with a score of 26.8, with the second-lowest pay of any city in Arizona, at $47,387 at national average prices, against $58,445 across Arizona. Its workers spend 30.1 minutes getting to work each way, nearly five minutes longer than the Arizona average of 25.4 minutes.
Apache Junction comes fourth from the bottom, with a score of 27.9 out of 100. Here, 22.0% of commuters leave for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m., the third-highest share of any city in the state, and its workers spend 28.1 minutes getting to work each way, against 25.4 minutes across Arizona.
Avondale completes the bottom five, with a score of 28.0 and 19.7% of its commuters leaving for work in the evening or overnight. That is 4.7 points above the state figure of 15.0%.
The Arizona cities with the best work–life balance
|
Rank |
City |
Work-life balance score (out of 100) |
Average weekly hours |
Median full-time earnings, adjusted for local prices |
Workers who mainly work from home |
Average one-way commute (minutes) |
Commuters leaving for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m. |
|
1 |
Scottsdale |
57.5 |
40.4 |
$84,477 |
31.1% |
21.6 |
7.6% |
|
2 |
Oro Valley |
52.5 |
37.4 |
$84,595 |
22.6% |
26.7 |
10.3% |
|
3 |
Prescott |
52.1 |
36.6 |
$60,413 |
14.1% |
19.0 |
8.5% |
|
4 |
Flagstaff |
50.4 |
34.8 |
$53,050 |
13.3% |
16.5 |
13.7% |
|
5 |
Fountain Hills |
50.0 |
39.4 |
$83,419 |
30.5% |
28.6 |
11.5% |
|
6 |
Gilbert |
49.5 |
38.9 |
$78,351 |
26.1% |
25.9 |
11.6% |
|
7 |
Tempe |
48.9 |
37.0 |
$56,703 |
21.2% |
20.9 |
12.5% |
|
8 |
Chandler |
47.6 |
39.4 |
$71,831 |
25.3% |
23.9 |
12.3% |
|
9 |
Marana |
45.8 |
38.6 |
$74,217 |
21.7% |
27.7 |
11.4% |
|
10 |
Lake Havasu City |
44.5 |
38.5 |
$58,662 |
9.7% |
15.9 |
12.4% |
Scottsdale ranks number one in Arizona, with a score of 57.5 out of 100, which also places it 189th of all US cities in the study. In Scottsdale, 31.1% of workers mainly work from home, the highest share of any city in Arizona and 12.7 points above the state figure of 18.4%. Here, just 7.6% of commuters leave for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m., compared to 15.0% across Arizona, and full-time pay comes to $84,477 at national average prices, compared to $58,445 statewide. However, its average working week is longer than the state’s, at 40.4 hours compared to 38.7.
Oro Valley places second, with a score of 52.5 out of 100 and ranking 320th nationally, with the highest full-time pay in the state, at $84,595 at national average prices. In Oro Valley, 10.3% of commuters leave for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m., the third-smallest share of the 32 cities, and the average working week is 37.4 hours, compared to 38.7 across Arizona.
Prescott comes third, with a score of 52.1, which puts it in 333rd place nationally, with an average working week of 36.6 hours, the second-shortest in the state. Just 8.5% of its commuters set off in the evening or overnight, the second-smallest share in Arizona, and they spend 19.0 minutes getting to work each way, more than six minutes shorter than the state average.
Flagstaff ranks fourth in Arizona and 382nd nationally, with a score of 50.4 out of 100. Here, the average working week is 34.8 hours, the shortest of any city in Arizona, against 38.7 hours across Arizona.
Fountain Hills completes the top five, with a score of 50.0 and a national rank of 393rd. It has the second-highest share of workers mainly working from home of any city in Arizona, at 30.5%.
How Arizona compares with the rest of the US
|
Rank |
State |
Work-life balance score (out of 100) |
Average weekly hours |
Median full-time earnings, adjusted for local prices |
Workers who mainly work from home |
Average one-way commute (minutes) |
Commuters leaving for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m. |
Paid leave laws |
|
50 |
Mississippi |
22.2 |
39.5 |
$57,521 |
6.2% |
26.4 |
13.6% |
No |
|
49 |
Louisiana |
25.0 |
39.6 |
$59,515 |
8.0% |
26.2 |
13.9% |
No |
|
48 |
West Virginia |
28.3 |
39.0 |
$58,127 |
8.8% |
26.5 |
13.2% |
No |
|
47 |
Alabama |
30.7 |
38.9 |
$60,125 |
8.3% |
26.0 |
13.0% |
No |
|
46 |
Kentucky |
30.8 |
38.8 |
$59,358 |
9.5% |
24.5 |
14.3% |
No |
|
45 |
Hawaii |
32.6 |
38.3 |
$55,053 |
8.9% |
26.7 |
11.3% |
No |
|
44 |
Nevada |
33.8 |
38.6 |
$54,808 |
11.3% |
25.7 |
16.1% |
Sick leave only |
|
43 |
Arkansas |
34.4 |
39.1 |
$58,495 |
8.6% |
22.7 |
12.1% |
No |
|
42 |
Indiana |
34.6 |
38.2 |
$61,286 |
9.6% |
24.6 |
14.4% |
No |
|
41 |
Texas |
34.9 |
39.6 |
$59,995 |
12.9% |
27.5 |
11.5% |
No |
|
29 |
Arizona |
45.7 |
38.3 |
$59,873 |
16.3% |
26.4 |
15.4% |
Sick leave only |
Across the 50 states, Arizona ranks 29th for work-life balance, with a score of 45.7 out of 100. Its cities range from Scottsdale, which ranks 189th of all 1,460 US cities and towns with populations over 20,000, to Maricopa, which ranks 1,365th. The state sits behind Kansas, which scores 45.8, and ahead of Ohio, which scores 44.9.
Arizona has the 13th-lowest pay at local prices in the country, with full-time workers earning a median of $59,873 at national average prices. It has the 23rd-shortest average working week, at 38.3 hours, and the 19th-longest commute, at 26.4 minutes each way.
In Arizona, 15.4% of commuters leave for work between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m., the second-largest share of any state, and 16.3% of its workers mainly work from home, the fourth-highest share. Arizona is one of nine states with a statewide paid sick leave law but no paid family and medical leave program paying benefits on October 1, 2026.
Arizona finishes behind all of its neighbors except Nevada, with California 12th, Utah 13th, New Mexico 20th and Nevada 44th.
