The Best City For Remote Workers In Each State

Covid has shown many workers they are perfectly capable of doing their job from home- no lengthy, expensive commute needed.

Not only can they work remotely, they enjoy the flexibility and freedom it provides. 63% of workers currently working remote prefer remote roles in the future.

However, it begs the question, in a world where workers can live anywhere, where will they live? Where should they live? Expensive studios in the Bay area may not be the answer.

We hit the numbers to find the cities where remote workers have all the tools they need to work from home successfully, and can save a bundle doing it.

Best Cities For Remote Workers

1. Fishers, Indiana
2. Gahanna, Ohio
3. Urbandale, Iowa
4. Kennesaw, Georgia
5. Marana, Arizona
6. Wake Forest, North Carolina
7. Lee’s Summit, Missouri
8. Wesley Chapel, Florida
9. Spring Hill, Tennessee
10. Shawnee, Kansas

San Francisco, NYC, Austin, Denver and other trendy, prominent cities didn’t make the cut. Keep reading to see how we determined these cities– and the best city to work remotely in every state.

How We Determined This

We ranked over 1,300 cities in 5 areas to determine the best cities to work remotely:

• Rent costs
• Home price
• Amount of laptops/desktops per household
• Broadband Internet access
• Amount of existing remote workers

Our criteria can be broken down into two areas- affordability and feasibility.

For affordability, we looked at median rent and home cost. Many cities with high paying jobs have costs of living, with sky-high rent and home costs outpacing incomes. Cities with affordable housing will be a draw for remote workers looking to cut their biggest expense.

For feasibility, we examined the percent of homes with broadband internet and at least one laptop or desktop per household. When companies say their workers can work anywhere they mean anywhere with a strong internet connection. Cities with high technology and broadband rates will have a stronger infrastructure for remote workers to thrive.

Finally, we looked at the current existing population of remote workers. The more remote workers, the more desirable the city is for remote cities to call home.

All of our data came from the Census’ American Community Survey.

Below we break down the top 10, but you can jump the the bottom to see the numbers for the best remote city in each state.

1. Fishers, Indiana

Rent: 1,222
Remote Workers: 8.8
High Speed Internet (%):95.4

A short drive from Indianapolis, Fishers, Indiana is the best city for remote workers. 8.8% of workers in Fishers currently work remote, more than almost anywhere else in the nation. They do so due to affordable housing costs and a strong tech infrastructure that gives them all the support they need to do their jobs from home.

2. Gahanna, Ohio

Rent: 1,052
Remote Workers: 7.2
High Speed Internet (%):93.7

Gahanna, Ohio is the 2nd best city for remote workers in the country. Remote workers who relocate to Gahanna may have reverse sticker shock when they see $1,052 is the average rent price. They can take the money they save on rent and spend it at the cute shops in Gahanna or in nearby Columbus.

3. Urbandale, Iowa

Rent: 895
Remote Workers: 6.5
High Speed Internet (%):90.0

In Iowa, Urbandale is a hidden gem for remote workers. 90% of residents have high-speed internet, meaning this mid-west city isn’t a broadband dessert. Add in low housing costs and it’s easy to see why remote workers in Urbandale are smiling in their Zoom calls.

4. Kennesaw, Georgia

Rent: 1,233
Remote Workers: 6.1
High Speed Internet (%):92.9

Kennesaw, Georgia is the 4th best city for remote workers, but it may be #1 for people who want to wear short sleeves all year round. The average home price is $184,300, which might buy a shack in the San Francisco.

5. Marana, Arizona

Rent: 1,222
Remote Workers: 8.1
High Speed Internet (%):93.0

In the Southwest, Marana is the best place for remote workers. 8.1% of workers in Marana currently work remotely– drawn in by time saved commuting and affordable living.

6. Wake Forest, North Carolina

Rent: 1,083
Remote Workers: 11.5
High Speed Internet (%):92.3

12% of all workers in Wake Forest work from home- more than almost anywhere else in the nation. Not only is Wake Forest in a prime location near Raleigh, Wake Forest has the tech workers need to get the job done. Even better, it’s at a price many in pricey Northeastern cities and the Bay Area would kill for.

7. Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Rent: 1,015
Remote Workers: 7.2
High Speed Internet (%):89.8

Lee’s Summit is the 7th best city for remote workers. With affordable rent, low home prices, and great internet, what’s not to like about this Mid-West city?

8. Wesley Chapel, Florida

Rent: 1,425
Remote Workers: 9.8
High Speed Internet (%):92.0

For workers looking to leave their pricey coastal city but need to still be beach side, Wesley Chapel will hold a special appeal. Just outside Tampa, Wesley Chapel has a strong community of remote workers and speedy fast internet. Even with slightly steeper rent, it’s a great option.

9. Spring Hill, Tennessee

Rent: 1,357
Remote Workers: 8.9
High Speed Internet (%):93.0

Nashville is booming, but Spring Hill, Tennessee just outside is the place to be for remote workers. Nearly 9% of workers in Spring Hill already work from home. Why so many? Spring Hill is a tech friendly city, 95% of residents have a personal computer and 93% of homes have high speed internet.

10. Shawnee, Kansas

Rent: 966
Remote Workers: 6.1
High Speed Internet (%):90.0

Shawnee, Kansas is the quietly prosperous suburb of Kansas City. Not only do remote workers here have all the tech tools needed to do to their jobs effectively, they also reasonable prices, great schools, and proximity to the larger city of Kansas city for recreation. Shawnee may be #10 nationally, but it’s easy to see why it’s the best city for remote workers in Kansas.

The Future Is Flexible

Remote work and flexibility are two of the most desirable benefits for workers. As they become untethered from company location, more workers will be free to choose where they want to go home.

Many workers may choose to leave popular, expensive cities and call smaller, lesser known cities “home.” Others may choose to live near friends and family, or in locations that personally speak to them. Regardless of where they choose to set up office, they will have more choice than ever before.

Below is the most desirable city to work remotely in each state.

Best City For Remote Workers In Each State

Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.