2022 Best Cities for Remote Workers

Whether you’re looking to invest in new real estate, start a business, or seeking new and exciting job opportunities, the CBC team is here to provide insight that could help lead you in the right direction. Given the challenges of the pandemic, especially with the new Omicron variant dominating the nation, working remotely has become the norm for millions of Americans. In fact, up to 70% of job candidates today prefer a hybrid or remote work setup.

In a new study, LawnStarter compared nearly 200 of the biggest U.S. cities based on remote job opportunities, internet connectivity, cost of living, and availability of personal workspace, among 20 total factors, and ranked the cities accordingly. Why does this rank matter? According to the study, the transition to working remotely has been so huge and fast that it’s created a whole new sector of the labor force — dubbed the “working-from-home economy” — a trend researchers predict will outlast the pandemic. Therefore, significantly impacting local economies, apartment rentals, home prices, retail, hotels, industrial real estate, etc. Based on LawnStarter’s study, 2022’s Best Cities for Remote Workers, the top 5 best & worst cities for remote workers are:

What are the metrics for these rankings?

• Opportunity
  • Remote job opportunities & remote incentives
• Earning Potential
  • Median household income
• Workspace
  • Coworking spaces per 100,000 Residents
  • Median Home Square Footage per Average Number of Household Occupants
  • Median Number of Rooms per Home
  • Share of Homes With 1 or Fewer Occupants per Room
• Connectivity
  • 5G Home Internet Availability
  • Fiber Coverage
  • Broadband Coverage
  • Average Internet Speed
  • Number of Internet Service Providers
• Costs
  • Cost of Living Index
  • Housing (Median Sale Price per Square Foot)
  • Average Rent Price
  • Utilities
  • Internet
  • Income Tax
• Safety
  • Crime Index (100 is Safest)
  • Convenience
  • Food Delivery Services

According to the study, more than seven in 10 companies are struggling to recruit workers, and experts warn employers will deter 50-70% of candidates unless they offer workplace flexibility, including hybrid or remote arrangements. That means the ball is in remote workers’ court to choose where they want to live and work for the foreseeable future. Thus, with remote work likely here to stay, real estate prices will adjust accordingly. If you’re an investor looking for the best cities to invest in real estate, start a new business, or if you’re simply looking for a new job opportunity, it’s important to note that the cost of real estate is sky-high in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Boston (California was also the worst ranked state for remote workers). These cities are known as major employment hubs that attract people from all over the world in search of well-paying job opportunities. However, working remotely means that people no longer need to live in those areas in order to land jobs with companies based there. So, where will you go next?