Here’s How Much Time Illinoisans Spend Working In Their Lifetimes

Okay, as much as I hate the idea, let's just go ahead and do some math here. We can start by using a baseline of 50 weeks of work per year (allowing for 2 weeks vacation).

• 50 work weeks per year at 40 hours per week totals 2,000 hours per year.
• 2,000 hours per year for 45 years (assuming you started at 20 and retired at 65) is 90,000 hours.
• 90,000 hours breaks down to 3,750 days.
• 3,750 days totals 10.274 calendar years.

So, there's your answer, right? 10.274 calendar years spent at work. Right?

Nope. Wrong. Although the math adds up, the real world is a different place, especially here in Illinois. We put in a lot more time than that over the course of our working lives, according to a new study.

The Study, Called "How Do Americans Spend Their Time," Breaks Down U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Data On A State By State Basis To See How Many Hours People In Every State Spend Doing All Sorts Of Things, Including Work

In their analysis, Deputy.com attempts to "determine how much time the average American spends on tasks — like working, cleaning up around the house, or catching up with friends — throughout their lifetime."

Since our headline for this piece deals with the "working" part of the study, let's take a look a how much time those of us working in Illinois spend doing our jobs compared with some other states.

Washington DC residents spend the most time at work, averaging out to about 16 years, 5 months, and 8 days total during their lifetime, while Alaska and West Virginia residents spend the least, at 14 years, 5 months, and 5 days.

Here in Illinois, our numbers are as follows: 15 years, 5 months, and 5 days. Weirdly enough, Wisconsin has the exact same set of numbers. In Iowa, it's 15 years, 9 months, and 7 days, in Indiana it's 15 years, 1 month, and 6 days.

Deputy.com's Study Shows That We Spend More Time Working Than We Spend On Anything Else In Our Lives (except sleeping)

What a sad thought that is, even if you absolutely love what you do for a living. Nationally, Americans average 15 years, 3 months, and 7 days working. Here's how much time we spend on some other things in our lives:

• Sleeping: 28 years, 2 months, and 5 days
• Relaxing and Leisure: 3 years, 11 months, and 9 days
• Eating & Drinking: 4 years
• Household Activities: 7 years, 7 months, and 6 days
• Socializing and Communicating: 5 years, 7 months, and 13 days

You can read more at Deputy.com