THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MARCH 20, 2026 Page 7 State Rep. McGonagle Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a stop at Everett Bank State Representative Joe McGonagle this week is shown with the lovely ladies of Everett Bank on Broadway, where he stopped in to deliver green roses in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. (Courtesy photo) STUDY | FROM PAGE 6 ing about getting ahead and starts being about trying not to fall behind,” said Sam Borugi, senior analyst at InvestorsObserver. States Where Time Is Being Stolen the Fastest The research shows the crunch is particularly severe in coastal and high-demand states, where housing costs have exploded. In the ten hardest-hit states, workers now spend an average of 15.6 extra days every year paying for the same rent, groceries, and saving for a used car as in 2007, adding up to about 2.5 lost years of labor over a 40-year career. Delaware tops the list with 25.4 additional workdays a year required to afford these three essentials, equivalent to more than five full work weeks of extra effort. Maryland (18.5 days), New York (18.4 days), New Jersey (16.2 days), and California (15.8 days) round out the top five states demanding the biggest extra time sacrifice from workers. Housing alone accounts for most of the added burden in many of these regions. Delaware residents now spend 18.2 extra workdays a year just to cover rent, while workers in Maryland, California, New York, and New Jersey each face more than 12 additional rent-focused days compared with 2007. Even in high-wage states like Massachusetts and Washington, workers must now clock more days annually before they can spend on anything beyond basic survival. Where the Grind Is Longest In some states, the sheer amount of time needed each year to cover the basics is significant, even when the increase since 2007 is smaller. Hawaii is now the most time-expensive state in America, with workers needing 86.6 full 8-hour days every year just to pay for annual rent on a one-bedroom apartment, a year of groceries, and savings toward a used car. “Asking people to spend nearly three months of their year just to keep a modest roof over their heads and save for a used car isn’t a lifestyle choice. When even places that haven’t seen the biggest jumps still demand this much time for the basics, it shows how the cost-of-living crisis is eating away not just at wallets, but at people’s time, energy, and sense of security,” STUDY | SEE PAGE 14
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