Derby ranks among the UK’s most overworked cities in 2026
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.
Derby ranks fifteenth among the UK’s most overworked areas in 2026, with a total score of 54.46. Residents work an average of 36.9 hours per week and spend around 17.3 minutes commuting daily, placing the city in the mid-range for both weekly hours and travel time.
Overtime adds to the workload, with an average of 0.98 paid hours per week. Later-life working is common, with 72.3% of residents continuing beyond retirement age. Household patterns also contribute, as 34.54% of households have two or more working adults, while 13.25% of households have no employed adults. Sick leave is relatively low at 1.7%, showing that many residents continue working despite pressure.
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 |