When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many businesses were forced to close offices and pivot employees go working from home. And although less restrictive guidelines have prompted many companies to return to the office, some companies have chosen to create a hybrid schedule or let employees work from home permanently. In fact, 20 percent of businesses in the US at the beginning of 2022 were still operating in remote, virtual offices. But not all work from home situations are created equal. WalletHub, a company specializing in financial assistant tools, conducted a study to find the best states for working from home.
Photo: PhotoSunnyDays/Shutterstock
Looking to Make a Move? 15 Best States That Make It Cheap and Easy to Work From Home
The 15 best states to work from home
- New Jersey
- Washington DC
- Delaware
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Utah
- Texas
- Washington
- Maryland
- New York
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Virginia
- Arizona
- Nevada
The overall scores are based on from two categories: work environment and living environment. The work environment score was worth 60 out of 100 points. Those 60 points were made up of the share of workers who are working from home or are telecommuters, the household’s internet access, and the quality of cybersecurity. The three states (WalletHub included Washington DC in the ranking as well) with the best work-from-home environment were Washington DC, Deleware, and Massachusetts.
The living environment score, worth 40 points, was based on the price of electricity and internet, the median square footage per number of people living in the house, the share of detached housing units, average home square footage, the share of for-sale homes greater than 1,000 square feet, and the share of for-sale homes with a swimming pool. Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia were the top three states with the best living environment.
Just because you don’t have to move for your job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider it. Moving to a new state might save you plenty of dollars and stress. 