In recent years, the idea of how and where we work went through a seismic shift, with remote work emerging as a dominant force reshaping the traditional office landscape. Almost 12% of the workforce in the United States, amounting to over 18M people, is now working from home, either full time or under a hybrid program that combines office days with remote days.
Obviously, not all sectors of the economy are equally suitable for remote jobs. In fact, job titles that register the highest share of remote workers encompass three large sectors of the economy. Information-related jobs, which not only include tech workers but also telecommunications and media publishers (everything from books and magazines to music) account for the highest share of people working from home — almost 26% of all the employees in these branches.
Professional, scientific and management sectors, which include jobs such as lawyers, architects, researchers and other scientists, as well as managers, are also careers where remote working is quite prevalent: about a quarter of those occupying such positions are working from home.
Finally, the third sector that boasts plenty of remote workers is finance, insurance, and real estate, with 24% of all employees in these areas being able to work from home. Interestingly, over 11% of public administration jobs are also home based.
But where exactly in the U.S. are Americans the most likely to be able to work from home, and which cities have the most remote employees, based on professions? To find out, we analyzed employment-related data in all U.S. cities with a population greater than 50,000. Check out below the nation’s cities with the largest share of work-from-home employees overall and for different types of jobs.
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Bellevue, WA, & Frisco, TX
The cities with the largest share of employees working from home overall are Bellevue, WA, and Frisco, TX. About 30% of the employees in both these cities are skipping the daily commute for a very short walk in the morning from their kitchens to their home offices. Both Bellevue and Frisco have a significant presence of tech companies, which eases people’s access to remote jobs. Microsoft and Amazon are just two of the major tech players nestled in the Seattle area that offer plenty of opportunities for locals interested in fully remote or hybrid work. Similarly, Frisco’s residents have direct access to the robust employment market in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Motorola Solutions, Qualtrics and Capital One are just a few of the local companies open to remote work.
Located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, Cary is the country’s third city by share of people working from home — 28%. With the area home to numerous scientific research institutions, tech companies and higher education institutions, it’s only natural that the local jobs profile allows a significant number of people to work from home.
Other cities among the top 10 nationally for their percentage of WFH employees include Berkeley and Fremont, CA, as well as Boulder, CO, and Seattle, WA.
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Clearwater, FL
About 50% of those pursuing information-related careers in Clearwater, FL, do their jobs from home, the largest percentage of all the cities analyzed. The average income for the sector in Clearwater hovers just under $64K. However, Clearwater offers a relatively affordable cost of living compared to other tech hubs in the United States, which makes it an attractive option for those seeking to combine a career in tech with a desirable lifestyle. With its beautiful beaches, outdoor recreational activities and cultural attractions, Clearwater definitely provides both.
Carlsbad, CA, comes in second, with 47% of the employees in the information sector doing the bulk of their work from home. Carlsbad is home to a variety of technology companies, including those in the biotech, software development and telecommunications sectors. Additionally, the city has a notable presence of publishing companies, particularly in the fields of educational publishing, scientific journals and digital media. While Carlsbad is known for its relatively high cost of living, the average income in the sector, north of $100K, is offsetting this disadvantage.
Wilmington, NC, ranks third, with 46% of the people working in this sector doing so from home. Other cities where information employees find it easy to do their jobs from the comfort of their home office include Arvada, CO, and New Haven, CT, but also bigger cities such as Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.
Image Credit: Maria Gatea / StorageCafe.com.
Frisco, TX
Frisco, TX, doesn’t just rank second nationally for its high percentage of remote workers — it’s also an ideal haven for lawyers, researchers and managers looking to work from home. Nearly half of Frisco’s residents employed in these sectors have chosen to build their careers from the comfort of their homes and are making, on average, $115K annually.
Situated strategically within the bustling Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Frisco benefits from a dynamic economic landscape and abundant job opportunities. Beyond its economic prowess, Frisco is a great place for families, offering an excellent quality of life complete with numerous parks, recreational facilities and family-friendly events. It’s no wonder, then, that remote workers are drawn to Frisco, enticed by the prospect of blending their professional aspirations with a cozy, comfortable lifestyle.
The same can also be said about Bend, OR, where 47% of the same categories of employees are also foregoing the hurdle of going to the office every day. The city has undergone significant economic diversification in recent decades, particularly with the rise of the tourism, outdoor recreation and technology sectors, thus local work opportunities, both from home and the office, abound. On top of that, remote work also implies the possibility of tapping into other jobs from across the county. Those lucky enough to work from home in Bend are able to carve out more time to enjoy the area’s stunning natural landscapes, including the Cascade Mountains, Deschutes River and nearby lakes.
Other cities, including Highlands Ranch and Boulder in Colorado, Fremont, CA, and Fishers, IN, are also very adept at allowing people in management, science and liberal professions to work from home.
Image Credit: Maria Gatea / StorageCafe.com.
Boulder, CO
Known for its strong sense of community and commitment to sustainability, Boulder, CO, takes it one step further by ensuring that many residents have the option of working from home. And the most privileged group in Boulder in this regard are finance, insurance and real estate employees — about 44% work from home and enjoy an average annual income of just under $80K. Most likely, these lucky employees are using all that saved commute time to enjoy many of the outdoor attractions in and around the city.
Another nearby community in Colorado, Highland Ranch, ranks third in our top 10, with about 41% of its finance and real estate employees keeping busy from their home offices.
The 42% of the realtors and finance employees in Allen, TX, are probably very grateful to be able to skip the morning rush and, instead, work comfortably from their home office — the city ranks second nationally for its number of WFH financiers, insurers and realtors. The average income for this sector in Allen is just north of $86K per year and certainly boosted by all that savings on gas and car maintenance.
Image Credit: Maria Gatea / StorageCafe.com.
How to Tackle Space Constraints While Working from Home
Working from home, whether full time or part time, increases the quality of life for many, if not most, employees. However, this transition is not without its challenges — a big part of working from home successfully has to do with . . . space.
You need space at home for a comfortable, well-fitted home office if you’re to be successful in your career. However, carving out that kind of space at home might not be an easy mission for many people. Families with children, or those sharing an apartment with roommates, for example, will have to sacrifice some of their existing belongings to set up their work area.
In such instances, self storage can truly make a difference. It allows you to safely store furniture and other items you are not currently using at full capacity and reclaim that extra space for work-related purposes. Self storage street rates vary significantly depending on where you live — however, renting self storage is almost always far less expensive than moving to a larger abode. Not to mention, it’s also a lot less disruptive. Below, you can check out self storage prices and availability in the county’s best 100 major cities for working from home:
Image Credit: Maria Gatea / StorageCafe.com.
Remote workers in US cities
Below, you can explore all the cities analyzed for the share of employees working from home, encompassing all types of occupations. Additionally, we’ve segmented the data to highlight three career paths that lead in terms of remote workers.
Image Credit: Maria Gatea / StorageCafe.com.
Methodology
This analysis was conducted by StorageCafe, an online platform that offers storage unit listings nationwide.
We examined 289 US cities with populations exceeding 50,000 to compile a ranking of the top 100 cities by the share of remote workers. Occupational and income-related data were sourced from the US Census.
Self storage data was obtained from Yardi Matrix, StorageCafe’s sister division and a business development and asset management tool for brokers, sponsors, banks, and equity sources involved in underwriting investments across various sectors, including multifamily, office, industrial, and self-storage.
- Related: Storage Units For College Students: Why They’re Worth It And What To Know
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This article originally appeared on StorageCafe.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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