Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on HireAHelper.
In recent years, public health officials have been trying to raise awareness of the negative effects of a common daily activity: sitting.
While sitting can be helpful for resting and maintaining the body, sitting for prolonged periods with limited physical activity reduces energy expenditure and cardiovascular fitness, which contributes to a number of adverse health conditions. Sitting can increase the likelihood of obesity, blood clots, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
It may also increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. It affects posture, stiffens joints, and contributes to tightness and strain in the back, hamstrings, and hips. With this long list of potential health consequences, some health professionals argue that “sitting is the new smoking.”
To determine the locations with the highest concentration of workers who sit, researchers at HireAHelper used data from O*NET’s Occupation-Level Sitting Score and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Here are the cities with the highest concentration of workers who sit.
15. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
- Composite index: 49.62
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 5.2%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 12.5%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 51,220
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 122,450
14. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Composite index: 49.62
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.8%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 12.1%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 143,740
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 255,610
13. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Composite index: 49.77
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 5.9%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 11.4%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 337,840
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 651,310
12. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Composite index: 49.81
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 5.9%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 11.7%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 73,510
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 146,520
11. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Composite index: 50.23
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.1%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 11.5%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 111,310
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 209,130
10. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Composite index: 50.32
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.5%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 12.1%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 95,220
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 177,500
9. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Composite index: 50.64
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.3%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 12.1%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 120,020
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 232,540
8. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT
- Composite index: 51.03
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.5%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 10.0%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 35,130
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 54,370
7. Salt Lake City, UT
- Composite index: 51.34
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.6%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 11.7%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 49,410
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 86,700
6. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
- Composite index: 51.52
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.7%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 12.4%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 71,840
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 132,560
5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Composite index: 51.67
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.6%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 10.5%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 569,830
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 915,440
4. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Composite index: 51.93
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.1%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 10.8%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 156,970
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 278,950
3. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
- Composite index: 52.28
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 7.2%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 10.6%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 160,430
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 236,880
2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Composite index: 53.80
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 6.4%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 11.0%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 186,320
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 321,290
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- Composite index: 54.02
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 7.5%
- Share of workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 9.2%
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting: 79,810
- Total workers in jobs requiring continuous standing: 98,760
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from O*NET’s Occupation-Level Sitting Score and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. To determine the locations with the highest concentration of workers who sit, researchers calculated a composite index, which is an employment-weighted average of each occupation’s O*NET sitting score for each location. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater share of workers in jobs requiring continuous sitting — those with an O*NET score of 90 or above — was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included.
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