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Study: People have the most free time in these 10 states

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Feeling like your free time is few and far between? You might consider moving.

A recent study conducted by Coleman Furniture looked at the states where people have the most and least amount of free time, using Bureau Labor of Statistics and American Community Survey data to look at time spent commuting and average hours worked in a week. The third factor it looked at was what percentage of available vacation time workers used from the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

The most free time

Coleman found that the state where people have the most free time goes to Maine, which boasted a first place ranking for amount of vacation taken.

But the bulk of the states where people have the biggest amount of free time are nestled in the Midwest. Wisconsin was ranked No. 2 for the most free time, (with a sixth place ranking in vacation taken) and Alaska came in third.

These are the top 10 states with the most amount of free time, according to the study:

1. Maine

2. Wisconsin

3. Alaska

4. Michigan

5. Utah

6. Ohio

7. Indiana

8. Iowa

9. Oregon

10. Arkansas

Coleman's study also looked into the effect that free time and relaxation has on other areas of life. It found that people in states with shorter commute times "love their jobs," according to the study, but they feel less of a sense of purpose.

And people in states where workers take the most allowed vacation time tend to have higher rates of unemployment and a lower sense of financial well-being.

The least free time

As for the states with the least amount of free time, Virginia was ranked No. 1, with its score dragged down by a dismal 47th ranking for the commute time category, as well as poor rankings in both the hours worked each week and vacation taken categories.

The second state with the least amount of free time goes to Maryland (it ranked 49th in the time spent commuting category). New Hampshire rounds out the top three (getting 49th in the vacation time taken category).

These are the top 10 states with the least amount of free time, according to the study:

1. Virginia

2. Maryland

3. New Hampshire

4. Texas

5. Mississippi

6. Georgia

7. Oklahoma

8. New York

9. Wyoming

10. West Virginia

According to the report, the higher the average number of hours worked in a week is also correlated with worse economic outcomes. 

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