Study Reveals the U.S. Burnout Capitals for Executives Based on Search Data

As leaders navigate a rapidly changing workplace, I’m sharing new data that reveals where executives are experiencing severe burnout and operational strain.

A study by premium virtual executive assistant service provider Viva Talent analyzed nationwide search volumes, working hours, and sleep metrics across all 50 states to identify where business leaders are actually stretched the thinnest.

The findings are surprising: the traditional fast-paced corporate hubs aren't the burnout capitals. Instead, executives in rural and Southern states are bearing the brunt of operational exhaustion, with West Virginia leading the nation, followed closely by Louisiana and Arkansas.

Key findings:

• West Virginia tops the ranking with a Leadership Burnout Score of 99.03 followed by Louisiana (97.29) and Arkansas (88.56). 

• Traditional, high-pressure business hubs ranked surprisingly low for burnout. California ranks 30th, New York ranks 35th, and Massachusetts is among the least burned-out at 44th.

• In states like Hawaii (45.9%), West Virginia (42.6%), and Alabama (41.4%), more than 40% of adults are functioning on less than 7 hours of sleep a night.

• Rural states showed the highest concentration of leaders desperately searching for burnout relief online, with Vermont (838 mentions per 100k) and Wyoming (781 mentions per 100k) topping the search volume index.

Top 10 Most Burned-Out States for Executives

Rank	State	Founder Burnout-Related Searches Per 100k	Average hours worked per week	Percentage of adults getting less than 7 hours of sleep	Leadership Burnout Score
1	West Virginia	362	35.1	42.6	99.03
2	Louisiana	237	36.5	40.5	97.29
3	Arkansas	260	34.9	39.9	88.56
4	Alabama	219	34.7	41.4	88.53
5	Kentucky	244	35	39.6	87.91
6	Tennessee	221	34.6	39.8	83.88
7	Nevada	302	34.2	39.3	80.49
8	Mississippi	262	34.9	38.6	80.14
9	Texas	99	35.8	37.1	75.91
10	Georgia	153	34.3	38.8	75.02

Top 5 States with Highest Burnout-Related Searches

Rank	State	Burnout-Related Searches Per 100k
1	Vermont	838
2	Wyoming	781
3	Alaska	760
4	North Dakota	701
5	South Dakota	631

Top 5 States Where Adults Getting Less than 7 Hours of Sleep

Rank	State	Percentage of adults getting less than 7 hours of sleep
1	Hawaii	45.9
2	West Virginia	42.6
3	Alabama	41.4
4	Louisiana	40.5
5	Arkansas	39.9
5	Ohio	39.9

These numbers further highlight the growing reality for many businesses. Executives operating outside major metropolitan hubs lack operational support, forcing them to absorb more administrative fatigue.

Fineas Tatar, workplace productivity expert and co-CEO of Viva Talent, comments:

"The data shatters the stereotype that burnout is strictly a Silicon Valley or Wall Street problem. States without dense corporate hubs often force executives to shoulder the administrative and operational chaos of their businesses alone. They are taking on multiple roles, resulting in significant sleep deprivation and extended workweeks, as evidenced by the data. 

The real cost of this geographic talent gap shows up in stalled growth, slower decision-making, and exhausted teams. This is a wake-up call that the 'do-it-all' executive is an unsustainable model, and leaders need to start setting better operational boundaries.”

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I’d be happy to coordinate additional insights from Fineas or share the full 50-state data set. You can find the study’s methodology below.

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Methodology: This study identifies the U.S. states with the highest levels of leadership burnout by analyzing three key metrics: 

• Search interest for burnout-related terms (e.g., executive fatigue, and leadership burnout) via Google Keyword Planner

• Average weekly work hours from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• The percentage of adults getting insufficient sleep (under 7 hours) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

To ensure a balanced comparison, each metric was standardized using a percentile rank, allowing us to aggregate the data into a final Burnout Score. This score is based on a weighted index that prioritizes physical indicators, assigning 45% each to average work hours and insufficient sleep, and 10% to search volume. The U.S. national data was calculated based on the average of all 50 states.