Admin July 23, 2024
The number of Americans who work from home has declined since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but remote work isn’t going away. Almost 30% of American employees’ paid workdays in December 2023 were remote, according to WFH Research.
Millions of people in the United States have some flexibility in where they live because of their jobs, so many are likely considering moves to new cities or states that are more affordable or just more remote-work-friendly. Where should remote workers considering a move relocate to?
Combining data on 100 U.S. cities we found the top 10 places remote workers might want to move to when it’s time for a change.
A note on methodology
We looked at three key factors to rank U.S. cities on suitability for remote work.
Affordability. MarketWatch ranked over 200 cities on their affordability using income, unemployment, housing costs, transportation costs, and other miscellaneous fees. We used each city’s overall index to represent affordability.
Quality of life. U.S. News and World Report releases an annual ranking of 150 cities that includes a quality of life index for each, measured by crime rates, quality of education, well-being, air quality, and more.
Internet speed. Speedtest tracks internet speed test results for cities around the country. We used the download speed (in Mbps) for each city on our list to represent each city’s overall internet speed.
The U.S. cities on our list all received overall scores using the following weighted criteria:
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Affordability: 50%
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Quality of life: 30%
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Internet speed: 20%
Top U.S. cities for remote workers to move or relocate in 2024
1. Green Bay, Wis.
Median home sale price: $245,000
Affordability score: 100
Quality of life rating: 6.9
Median download speed: 288.01 Mbps
Green Bay is 2024’s top city for remote work, owing largely to its high affordability ranking. It’s ranked No. 1 for affordability and is in the top 25% of cities for quality of life and internet speed.
2. Raleigh, N.C.
Median home sale price: $388,000
Affordability score: 77.52
Quality of life rating: 7.2
Median download speed: 342.86 Mbps
While Raleigh is one of the most expensive cities on our list, its high quality of life and blazing-fast internet speeds keep it firmly in the No. 2 spot. It has the highest internet speed of any city we looked at for this ranking.
3. Madison, Wis.
Median home sale price: $371,000
Affordability rating: 74.13
Quality of life rating: 7.2
Median download speed: 277.04 Mbps
Madison’s home prices aren’t the highest on this list, but it’s still in the top 30% of most affordable cities in the country. That affordability, combined with a high quality of life rating and above-average internet speed, makes it a great place to work remotely.
4. South Bend, Ind.
Median home sale price: $145,000
Affordability score: 77.52
Quality of life rating: 6.9
Median download speed: 274.81 Mbps
With one of the lowest average home prices in the nation, great overall affordability, and a respectable quality of life rating, South Bend provides a lot of value. Better-than-average internet speed makes it a good place to work when you’re always online, too.
5. Fayetteville, Ark.
Median home sale price: $380,000
Affordability rating: 78.03
Quality of life rating: 7.0
Median download speed: 255.64 Mbps
While the median home sale price might be high, Fayetteville remains a rather affordable place to live. Remote workers will also enjoy the city’s high quality of life and solid internet speed.
6. Greenville, S.C.
Median home sale price: $340,000
Affordability rating: 71.25
Quality of life rating: 7.0
Median download speed: 289.21 Mbps
While its affordability rating is lower than most cities on this list, a high quality of life rating and very good internet speeds will be attractive to remote workers. South Carolina is one of the hottest places to move overall right now, and Greenville should be on your list if you work remotely.
7. Manchester, N.H.
Median home sale price: $385,000
Affordability rating: 81.62
Quality of life rating: 6.4
Median download speed: 311.26 Mbps
Don’t let the high home prices fool you – Manchester is still a very affordable place to live if you can take on a higher mortgage payment. And with a decent quality of life and internet speed in the top 15% of the cities we looked at, it’s sure to appeal to remote employees.
8. Wichita, Kan.
Median home sale price: $210,000
Affordability rating: 94.56
Quality of life rating: 6.0
Median download speed: 293.61 Mbps
Wichita might not be a city that comes to mind when you think of hot places to move, but if you work remotely, you should consider it. One of the highest affordability scores among cities we looked at, a respectable quality of life rating, and internet speeds that are plenty high for demanding remote work combine to make it the eighth-ranked city on our list.
9. Des Moines, Iowa
Median home sale price: $200,000
Affordability rating: 69.71
Quality of life rating: 6.8
Median download speed: 271.90 Mbps
Although home prices are low in Des Moines, it has the worst affordability score on our list. Still, with a high quality-of-life rating and solid download speeds, it’s worth considering if you’re looking for a nice Midwestern city to work remotely.
10. Richmond, Va.
Median home sale price: $317,000
Affordability rating: 73.41
Quality of life rating: 7.0
Median download speed: 211.00 Mbps
Richmond might have the lowest internet speed score in our ranking, but it’s still in the top 22% of cities we researched. With a great quality of life rating and above-average affordability, this capital city rounds out our list of the top 10 cities for relocating for remote work.
Honorable mentions
While the top 10 represent the best of the best cities for remote workers, based on our ranking system, the following 10 locations also scored relatively highly and deserve a mention here.
11. Montgomery, Ala.
12. Grand Rapids, Mich.
13. Winston-Salem, N.C.
14. Jacksonville, Fla.
15. Omaha, Neb.
16. San Antonio, Texas
17. Spartanburg, S.C.
18. Charlotte, N.C.
19. Rockford, Ill.
20. Tampa, Fla.
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