The Best and Worst States for Remote Workers
The rise of remote and flexible work has increased interest since many workers began to work from home in 2020.
But which states are the best and which are the worst for people working from home? Take a look at this list and find out.
#1 California: 13.67%
California tops the list of most remote jobs available in the entire country.
Most major tech companies call California home, with headquarters in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area.
#2 Texas: 8.53%
Coming in second is Texas, with many California-based companies moving to Texas thanks to the lower living costs and more flexible tax laws.
Most notable is Tesla, which relocated to the lone star state in December 2021.
#3 New York: 6.42%
New York is another state that boasts happy remote workers.
Considering the average commute times when not working remotely, it makes sense that New York functions better as a remote working location. It also has one of the highest internet speeds.
#4 Florida: 5.07%
Thanks to its lack of state income tax for individuals, Florida has slowly risen to the top as one of the states those seeking remote jobs are calling home.
A more affordable cost of living also attracts remote workers.
#5 Illinois: 4.67%
Winters in Illinois can be pretty brutal, with sweltering summers.
The extreme weather is why so many people enjoy remote working in order to avoid traveling in such severe weather conditions.
#6 Pennsylvania: 4.05%
With many cities that make working from home accessible, Pennsylvania offers workers an excellent work-life balance, with a low cost of living and the ability to explore nature and amenities when the work day is over.
#7 Massachusetts: 3.67%
Massachusetts ranked third in the work environment category in a report posted by WalletHub.
The article examined the number of workers working from home or in roles that translate remotely and how many people have internet access at home.
#8 Georgia: 3.44%
Georgia ranks as the best southeastern state for remote workers.
The city of Atlanta, in particular, finds that roughly 41% of people in the metro Atlanta area worked remotely occasionally.
#9 North Carolina: 3.32%
Beginning in 2021, North Carolina saw many new residents moving to the state.
This is thanks to flexible opportunities to work from home and a lower cost of living compared to other states.
#10 Ohio: 3.20%
In Ohio, the top industries for remote jobs are HR and recruiting, data entry, computer, and IT.
Cities throughout the state offer amenities that attract families, with a broader range of childcare options compared to other states.
#11 Virginia: 3.18%
Virginia is the home of several companies that offer remote work opportunities, from mortgage consulting services to Information Technology services to remote teaching opportunities.
Many co-working centers offer remote workers a chance to feel like they're in an office.
#12 Washington: 2.91%
Thanks to the low retail price of electricity, and the large size of the average home, Washington manages to outshine other Pacific Northwest states in providing remote workers with a happy work environment.
It is why many residents are still working remotely.
#13 Michigan: 2.26%
While the state of Michigan offers excellent remote work opportunities, the city of Ann Arbor offers the most agreeable cost of living, including transportation, rent, internet, and gym, balanced with high salaries.
It is the perfect place for people interested in working from home.
#14 Arizona: 2.45%
The southern United States has quite a few states offering positive opportunities to work remotely.
Arizona is no different, with many virtual business companies, such as cloud storage solutions and project management apps. The yearlong good weather is another plus.
#15 Colorado: 2.14%
Colorado might be the place to go if you're the more outdoorsy type and want to work remotely.
Although other states like California also offer plenty of outdoor activities, Colorado boasts a much lower cost of living that is more accessible to prospective new residents.
#16 Minnesota: 2.14%
Minnesota is home to over 11,000 lakes, making it a haven for outdoors enthusiasts.
It also has low crime rates, affordable housing, and many remote jobs, particularly in healthcare and social assistance, making it attractive for remote workers.
#17 Maryland: 2.12%
Parts of Maryland are in the metro Washington, D.C., which also has a high percentage of remote workers.
Maryland is slowly encouraging more remote work through its telework program, which already sees reduced carbon emissions as one of the many benefits.
#18 New Jersey: 2.03%
New Jersey is another state that favors working remotely, with many people having high-speed internet at home and low internet costs.
The state also has the highest number of employees who can easily transition to working from home.
#19 Tennessee: 1.93%
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is one of the best southern cities for remote workers, thanks to its internet speeds compared to other cities.
However, Tennessee is not the best place for new homeowners to move, with sales prices higher than the national average.
#20 Oregon: 1.70%
Oregon has roughly 9.4% of its workforce working remotely, perfect for workers seeking an active lifestyle.
It was one of the few states already to have many remote employees before 2020.
#21 Missouri: 1.68%
More and more companies based in Missouri have been increasing their remote offerings, including those in marketing, customer service, and business.
However, they still have a long way to go to catch up to the number of offerings in other states.
#22 Wisconsin: 1.62%
Wisconsin sees much remote work in management positions, software analysis, web development, and HR.
Madison, in particular, with its lower cost of living and number of outdoor activities, helps Wisconsin in this regard.
#23 Indiana: 1.52%
Indiana is trying to pass legislation allowing more employees to work from home.
The legislation would work by paying new employees to move to the state and receive grants throughout the program.
#24 Connecticut: 1.35%
The pandemic has redefined Connecticut's workforce, with many jobs becoming remote.
While this is the case, some cities, like West Hartford, are struggling to keep up with the demand for apartments and condos for new residents.
#25 Utah: 1.29%
In Utah, the number of remote workers might not be very high, but a few towns throughout the state have been secret havens for remote work for years, even before 2020.
Of such town is Heber.
#26 South Carolina: 1.17%
The offerings for remote work in South Carolina are primarily start-up companies, particularly those that appeal to millennials.
Most of these opportunities are in Charleston, with the rest of the state still needing to catch up with remote work opportunities.
#27 Alabama: 0.93%
While Alabama does have a low cost of living, the state is prone to hurricanes, poor health care, and slower internet speeds.
The state has a program called Remote Shoals which is trying to bring remote workers to the Shoals area.
#28 Kentucky: 0.87%
According to a report by Career Cloud, Kentucky has one of the country's lowest employment rates.
With a low number of the population having access to in-home internet, remote work is still relatively new.
#29 Oklahoma: 0.85%
Oklahoma is steadily becoming a place for remote workers to call home.
The city of Tulsa, for example, offers a program to entice remote workers to move and start a new life, with cash incentives to cover the cost of relocating.
#30 Iowa: 0.77%
If there's anything that every remote worker needs, it's fast and reliable internet.
Unfortunately, Iowa still has some catching up to do in this department, leaving much to be desired despite the low living costs.
