CoworkingCafe ranked some of the largest U.S. cities by their capacity to foster a healthy work/life balance for their working populations based on economic, cultural, and infrastructural factors, as well as their psychological influence. And Scottsdale ranks No. 12 among the best cities for work-life balance.
READ MORE: Scottsdale tops all U.S. cities with more people moving in during COVID-19
• Scottsdale came in our top as No. 12 among the best cities for work-life balance and mental health, being the highest-ranking of the seven Arizonian entries on our Top 100 list. Only Chandler and Gilbert out of these remaining six made it to the first 50.
• Meanwhile, Scottsdale snatched 1st place in terms of flexible work – a striking 22% of the labor force here worked from home;
• Moreover, the $97,409 median household income gave Scottsdale a top 10 placement for affordability;
• Even though the city ranked No. 3 for green spaces and No. 11 for health insurance coverage, the lower scores for work hours and air quality pushed it all the way to the lower third of the list by mental health score;
• Midsized Midwestern cities dominated the top for work/life balance and mental health with Minneapolis, MN; Madison, WI; and Lincoln, NE leading the way.
• Raleigh, NC ranked fourth-best for work/life balance joined by six other Southeastern cities in the top 20.
• Coastal and Southern hubs fell behind in most aspects that contribute to overall work/life balance.
• Irvine, CA stood out as a haven for good mental health and work/life balance within the greater Los Angeles area and the Golden State as a whole.
• Pittsburgh, PA was the only Northeastern city with a strong overall foundation for work/life balance, whereas Buffalo, NY, scored high for mental health metrics.
It’s become less of a debate and more of a fact recently that having a good work/life balance is one of the pillars of mental health and sustainable productivity, not only among individuals, but among companies — and even the federal government. According to Bank of America’s 2022 Workplace Benefits Report, employees agreed that mental and physical health outweighed even salary when evaluating their overall wellbeing — concluding that burnout and poor work/life balance were among the top reasons for resignations amidst the growing trend often referred to as the Great Resignation or the Big Quit.
But balancing work and life differs from person to person as much as it differs from place to place. With that in mind, we set out to find the top cities in the country that offered the best foundations for a healthy work/life balance.
Specifically, we looked at 100 cities with at least 200,000 residents and assigned scores based on mental health metrics, such as the amount of green space and recreational amenities; air quality; and, of course, work hours. We also scored the cities based on income, affordability, remote working prevalence, commute times and how many residents had health insurance. We then combined and weighted these scores to create an overall work/life balance index with a heavy focus on mental health.
Midsize Midwestern Cities Clear Leaders for Work/Life Balance
While the coastal and Southern office and industrial hubs tend to get most of the attention when it comes to jobs, the Midwest definitely takes the lead when it comes to work/life balance and mental health. Seven Midwestern cities landed in our top 10, although the Southeast was also well-represented among the best cities for work/life balance with two entries in the top 10 and five more in the top 20.
