Why Don't People In Idaho Like The Outdoors Anymore?

Are Idahoans struggling with work-life balance?

The fantastic landscape of Idaho allows for so many different activities from rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River to hiking Redfish Lake Canyon and exploring the craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. But, there seems to be a disconnect from all that Idaho offers outdoors.

Are we working too much in Idaho?

It sure seems that way according to a new survey from solitairebliss.com which put together a list of the states with the Best Work-Life Balance and a list of the states with the Worst Work-Life Balance, but how bad is it in Idaho?

Here's the methodology they used:

We analyzed work and leisure reported in the 2021 American Time Use Survey to determine the states with the best and worst work-life balance. Each category is defined as follows:
Work: Work and work-related activities; travel related to work
Leisure: Socializing, relaxing and leisure; sports, exercise, and recreation; travel related to socializing; travel related to sports
To qualify, respondents had to be employed, report time working, and have been interviewed about weekday activities. States with five or fewer respondents—Alaska, Delaware, and South Dakota—were disqualified.

States with the best work-life balance have over 3 hours of leisure time per day.

I find that hard to believe. They also mention that most states also get 8 or more hours of sleep per night. Part of their conclusion they mention playing games as part of their leisure time, so how many people are actually less productive at work and possibly playing games on their phones? We don't know the answer, but here are the Top 5 Best States with work-life balance:

#1 Vermont

Photo by Peter James Eisenhaure on Unsplash

7.13 Avg. Hours worked per day
4.66 Avg. Leisure hours per workday

#2 North Dakota

Photo by Jeff DeWitt on Unsplash

7.621 Avg. Hours worked per day
3.91 Avg. Leisure hours per workday

#3 Nevada

Photo by Juliana Malta on Unsplash

7.71 Avg. Hours worked per day
3.8 Avg. Leisure hours per day

#4 Wyoming

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

7.21 Avg. Hours worked per day
3.54 Avg. Leisure hours per day

#5 Utah

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

7.5 Avg. Hours worked per day
3.46 Avg. Leisure hours per day

States With The Worst Work-Life Balance

"Following states report more work and less play than the rest of the U.S. The residents of every state on the worst work-life balance list work more than 40 hours a week on average and have less than 3 hours of leisure time per weekday."

Gallery Credit: Kyle Matthews

Hikes to Explore Outside in and Around Boise

Need to connect with nature a bit? Or at least escape the day to day grind? Check out these Boise area hikes, some are quick if you only have an hour or two and some are half day journeys.