Despite waning news reports, more than four times as many Americans now work remotely than before the pandemic closures.
Before the pandemic shut down non-essential businesses, only about 6 percent of employees had ever worked from home. That number swelled to close to 40 percent during the COVID closures, and remains at around 28 percent in 2023, meaning approximately 50 million U.S. workers do not commute to an office on a daily basis. About half of all remote workers, or nearly 25 million people, work fully remotely, never going to their employers’ place of business
These numbers, taken from U.S. Department of Labor, Census Bureau household surveys and a Stanford University weekly study that polls 10,000 workers, show that remote work remains prevalent across the country. According to research published by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), a U.S. insurance rating and data collection bureau specializing in workers’ compensation, office-based and professional occupations were most likely to implement remote work, with three-quarters of such employees working from home early in the pandemic. NCCI estimates that about one third of the work done by employees in America can be done remotely, and reports that in May, 2020, close to one third of the employed worked from home due to the pandemic closures.
While some companies are moving back to office-based work or offering hybrid schedules allowing at least some days of remote work, the number of fully remote workers remains much higher than it was before the pandemic. And these numbers do not account for Americans who are self-employed or gig workers.
Remote workers in New York saved nearly 11 days’ worth of time by ditching their commute, and California remote workers saved nearly 10 days’ worth of time.
Data show that 8.4 percent of the American workforce is made up of gig workers, accounting for 14 million American adults in the civilian workforce. Almost half – 47 percent – of gig-workers in the U.S. report that they also have full-time jobs and 30 percent of younger U.S. adults – ages 18 to 29 – have made money through gig work at some point. About 16 percent of American adults have reported earning money on online gig platforms at some point, with 9 percent reporting gig platform-related income in the past 12 months. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January, 2023, that nearly 10 million Americans are self-employed, an increase of 397,000 self-employed workers since 2019.
“Remote work is a win-win for employees and employers,” said Dwellics Founder Giselle Sitdykova. “Companies can save on the costs of rented office space, equipment, and supplies, and employees save on commuting costs and time. Remote workers report they are happier working from home because they have more flexibility. a better work-life balance, and they don’t miss the many hours each week they used to spend in traffic traveling to and from the office.”
Dwellics.com’s PhD-level data scientists used data from more than 50 sources and analyzed 100+ metrics and more than 60,000 U.S. cities and towns to rank the ‘Top 100 Best Cities for Remote Work.” Ranking factors included places with the highest internet speeds; best climate comfort, including temperature and humidity; public safety, including natural disaster risks, air and water quality; public health and cancer rates; infrastructure such as outdoor activities, distance to nearest airport, government spending, and housing-cost stability; and financial considerations such as housing costs, property taxes, income taxes, and cost-of-living index. This ranking is aimed at helping workers who do not commute to an office – including freelancers and those who are self-employed – determine the best place to relocate to
Texas and Arizona cities and towns earned 71 of the top 100 spots in Dwellics.com’s new “Top 100 Best Cities for Remote Work” rankings for 2023, with Arizona home to nine of the top 10 locales. The top 100 cities for remote workers include 39 in Texas, 32 in Arizona, 14 in Florida, five each in Nevada and Tennessee, two in New Mexico, and one each in Washington, North Dakota, and North Carolina.
Catalina Foothills, Arizona, took the top spot on the “Top 100 Best Cities for Remote Work” rankings list, with a near-perfect rating of 99.99 out of a possible 100 points. Tanque Verde, Arizona, came in second at 97.26, and Marana, Arizona, ranks third with a score of 95.31. Tempe, Arizona, earned 95.05 points, followed by Oro Valley, Arizona, with a score of 94.7. Chandler, Arizona, received 94.27 points and Pullman, Washington, scored 93.85. Gilbert, Arizona, is ranked at 93.63, Queen Creek, Arizona, got 93.52 points, and Casa Adobes, Arizona, earned 93.44 points to round out the top 10.
The top Arizona cities are located near Tucson and Phoenix, growing metropolitan areas with numerous amenities and options for a variety of lifestyle opportunities and offering a warm climate, scenic beauty, comparatively low taxes, and a cost of living well below many other large metro areas across the U.S.
“We know working from home has declined somewhat since the end of the pandemic, but it remains prevalent in many industries,” said Dwellics.com Founder Giselle Sitdykova. “Not being tied to an office has allowed thousands to relocate to a city that’s more in line with their preferred lifestyle. This is why Dwellics created the ‘Top 100 Best Cities for Remote Work’ rankings, to help people find a place to work from home that offers high internet speeds, a comfortable climate, good air and water quality, and a cost of living that suits their income.”
Dwellics has created 11 different ‘Top 100 Best Cities’ ranking lists to help Americans find the perfect place to live their best life, however the choose to define it, Sitdykova reported. “Our parented algorithm also allows Dwellics users to compare two cities side by side and provides detailed analysis of each locale’s average rent and mortgage prices, taxes, median income, community demographics like population size, age, racial and religious diversity, political affiliation, and industry and employment data that indicates the types of jobs available in each individual city. Dwellics also posts reviews of each city submitted by users who provide pros and cons of living in each place in their own words.”
Other “Top 100 Best Cities” rankings new for 2023 offer lists of the best places for retirees, safest places to live, most affordable cities with outstanding schools, most educated cities, healthiest counties in the nation, and best places for people to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. In addition to “Top 100 Best Cities” rankings, Dwellics.com offers free personalizable calculators to compare cost of living, climate, and school performance. For even deeper analysis, users can compare two cities side by side using their own selection of metrics that are most important to them.
“Dwellics.com makes it easier to find the best place to relocate to because our algorithm
considers each user’s personal needs and wants,” Sitdykova explained. “Our team has worked tirelessly for more than two years to build a unique, patented algorithm that gives users an authentic feel for what it’s really like to live somewhere. Thousands of visitors each day use our platform to help them make informed decisions about the places they’re considering relocating to.”
Dwellics is free to use, and for a limited time, no sign-up is required. The website also offers a Blog filled with nearly 50 informative articles offering tips, checklists, and guidance to make relocating easier. New articles are added regularly, and users may sign up to receive Dwellics’ free monthly newsletter to keep up with the newest Blog articles and learn more about places of interest to them.
To learn more about Dwellics, visit Dwellics.com. Find all 11 “Top 100 Best Cities” rankings at dwellics.com/rankings.
