London tops list of UK’s most overworked cities in 2026

Commuters cross London Bridge early in the morning of September 8, 2025, as most of London Underground services are suspended during strike action by members of the Railway workers' union RMT. London has been hit by a week-long strike on its underground railway the Tube, after unions and management failed to reach a pay deal. Thousands of Tube staff are to carry out the network's biggest strike for three years, with the worst of the disruption expected Monday to Thursday. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS JASSO/AFP via Getty Images)

placeholder image — Commuters cross London Bridge early in the morning of September 8, 2025, as most of London Underground services are suspended during strike action by members of the Railway workers' union RMT. London has been hit by a week-long strike on its underground railway the Tube, after unions and management failed to reach a pay deal. Thousands of Tube staff are to carry out the network's biggest strike for three years, with the worst of the disruption expected Monday to Thursday. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS JASSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Early alarms, packed trains and emails that refuse to stop after hours have become part of daily life for many workers. But while long days are a familiar complaint across the country, new research suggests the strain is far more intense in certain parts of the UK than others.

A new study by Optisearch set out to identify where work pressure is most acute. The analysis combined seven indicators of overwork, including weekly hours, commuting time, overtime, sick leave and household employment patterns. Each factor was weighted by importance and scored on a 0-100 scale, using data from the Office for National Statistics.

According to the results, Londoners are working harder than anywhere else in the UK. The average Londoner works 36.3 hours per week, which puts the city 10th in the study for weekly hours. But the real pressure comes from other factors. Almost three-quarters of residents (74.7%) keep working past retirement age, the highest share in the country. Overtime and households with multiple working adults add to the strain, with 0.83 paid overtime hours per week and 23.06% of households having two or more people in work.

Commuting adds to the busy days too. Londoners spend an average of 16.5 minutes traveling each day, and about 10.96k households have no employed adults. Sick leave is low at 2.4%, showing that people keep going even when it would be better to take a break.

Louis Riat-Bonello, spokesperson for Optisearch, said: “Many people feel trapped in a cycle where slowing down isn’t really an option. There’s an unspoken expectation to keep pushing, even when it’s draining, and over time that takes a real toll on mental health, relationships and overall quality of life. Working longer doesn’t always mean working better.”

He added: “One of the biggest drivers is how blurred the line between work and home has become. Phones and emails make it easy to stay connected around the clock, and being constantly available is often mistaken for dedication. In reality, that always-on culture risks turning hard work into long-term burnout.”

The top 10 most overworked areas in the UK look like this: London leads, with high rates of people working past retirement age, long hours, and busy households. Westminster follows with slightly longer weeks and daily commutes, while Stoke-on-Trent ranks third thanks to overtime and uneven workloads across households. Hereford and Lichfield round out the top five, driven by long commutes and multiple adults working in households. Bristol, Norwich, Doncaster, Leicester, and Leeds complete the top 10, each facing a mix of overtime, weekly hours, commuting, and later-life working that keeps residents under constant pressure.

List of the most overworked UK areas in 2026:

Rank	Areas	Average hours worked per week	Commute time (min)	Overtime hours worked	% of people working past retirement age (65)	% of households with two or more working people	% of households where no adults are working	Sick leaves rate	Total Score
1	London	36.3	16.5	0.83	74.7	23.06	10.96	2.4	74.11
2	Westminster	37	17.1	0.86	74.1	16.91	10.55	1	73.66
3	Stoke-on-Trent	37	17.3	1.01	71.9	22.21	14.49	2.7	66.19
4	Hereford	36.4	18.6	0.98	74.7	25.34	6.04	1.2	62.71
5	Lichfield	37	16.6	0.83	72.4	24.60	6.57	1.6	61.24
6	Bristol	37	18.6	0.98	74.3	21.72	10.96	1	59.83
7	Norwich	37	13.5	1.54	72.4	19.32	9.31	1.8	59.47
8	Doncaster	36.3	16.7	1.28	70.4	21.69	8.99	1.8	59.12
9	Leicester	36.2	16.3	0.83	75.3	21.45	9.42	2.2	57.87
10	Leeds	37.3	18.5	1.73	72.4	13.15	14.64	3.8	57.66
11	Cardiff	36.9	17.6	0.86	74.3	17.56	11.54	1.5	56.78
12	Birmingham	36.9	18.1	1.05	71.9	26.68	18.42	2.1	56.60
13	Preston	37.5	33	1.13	72.1	1.56	23.49	1.8	56.40
14	Wolverhampton	35	19.7	0.79	70.1	14.71	14.27	1.9	56.31
15	Derby	36.9	17.3	0.98	72.3	34.54	13.25	1.7	54.46
16	Bradford	36.5	19.6	1.16	75.3	19.83	11.91	0.7	54.34
17	Cambridge	36.8	19.1	0.79	74.3	25.43	17.15	1.5	54.31
18	Southampton	37	17.9	1.13	72.3	20.82	11.73	2.1	54.13
19	St Albans	35	16.9	0.86	74.7	28.22	5.09	2.4	54.10
20	Chelmsford	37	11.3	0.94	74.3	21.22	9.28	1.1	53.69