10 best cities for remote workers
The ability to work remotely used to be a rare need for most of the country’s workforce. In the years since the COVID outbreak, companies, organizations and government offices have discovered that not only can they do their business with a remote staff, but employees see working remotely as a perk. According to Gallup, more than 60 percent of job seekers prefer working from home, and more than 70 million (about 56 percent) of U.S. full-time workers’ jobs could be done remotely. But being happy working remotely depends on location. Gallup’s report also found that employees who don’t work in their preferred location have significantly lower employee engagement, and a higher burnout and desire to quit. Employees need that preferred work/life balance to be successful.
To that end, LawnStarter has compiled a list of 2023’s best cities for remote workers, which compares publicly available data from the 200 biggest U.S. cities in 20 remote worker-friendly factors including internet quality, cost of living and access to coworking places. The factors were then grouped into seven categories—financial incentive, earning potential, workspace, connectivity, affordability, safety and amenities—and received weighted scores across the categories.
Eight of the top 10 cities are in the South, and Lawn Starter found that most of those cities ranked well in affordability, earning potential, workspace and connectivity.
The top city from 2022’s report, Frisco, Texas, was bumped to No. 2 for 2023 by fellow Dallas suburb of Plano, which shines with spacious homes, the highest broadband coverage and low crime. The city also has the 10th most affordable rent, and Texas does not have a state income tax.
What other cities round out the top 10? Click through the gallery above to find out.
