Kansas workers may have shorter commutes than much of the nation, but a new study suggests the state still faces a higher-than-average risk of occupational burnout.
Kansas ranked 15th nationally in a burnout index compiled by Nutrition NC, with an overall score of 51.07 out of 100. The study analyzed five factors across the states: average weekly work hours, long commute rates, access to mental health providers, days of lost productivity due to poor physical or mental health, and online searches related to occupational burnout. Among neighboring states, Kansas ranked highest for burnout risk. Missouri ranked 21st, Colorado 25th, Oklahoma 32nd and Nebraska 40th.
The Kansas ranking was not driven by long commutes. According to the study, only 4.0% of Kansas workers travel more than 60 minutes each way to work, tying Nebraska for the lowest long-commute rate in the study. Instead, Kansas’ score was influenced by other factors, including an average work week of 39.5 hours and a Google Trends burnout search score of 72.
The study also found that Kansas residents reported an average of 9.6 days per month when poor physical or mental health affected their normal activities. Kansas had 283.5 mental health providers per 100,000 residents, fewer than Colorado, Oklahoma and Nebraska, according to the report.
Texas ranked first nationally for burnout risk, with a score of 65.18. Virginia ranked second at 64.88, followed by Louisiana at 64.47, New York at 64.16 and Georgia at 60.50. Louisiana had the longest average work week in the study, at 45.8 hours, while New York had the highest percentage of workers with commutes longer than 60 minutes, at 17.2%.
At the other end of the rankings, Alaska had the lowest burnout risk, with a score of 24.30. The study cited Alaska’s short average work week of 31.8 hours as a major factor. Nebraska ranked 40th nationally, placing it among the 10 least burnout-prone states. Natalie Mootz, chief marketing officer of Nutrition NC, said the findings point to the combined pressure of long work hours, health challenges and limited access to mental health resources.
“The data shows concerning levels of burnout risk in many states, especially those combining long work hours with limited mental health resources,” Mootz said.
The study used a weighted formula, with workload intensity accounting for 30% of the score, burnout-related search activity 25%, health-related productivity loss 20%, access to mental health support 15%, and commute burden 10%. Kentucky was excluded because of incomplete data.