Although the workforce of many American companies has returned to the office after the pandemic, the trend towards remote working seems to be well entrenched in the United States. “According to the Society of Human Resource Management, nearly half (48%) of employees plan to take on roles that allow them to work from home,” reports CNBC.
The company SmartAsset analyzed this trend and ranked in its study the 100 largest American cities according to eight parameters, “including percentage of workforce working from home, median housing costs, unemployment rate, income tax rate, cafe density and bar density to determine the best city for remote work”. Ten cities stood out:
- Austin (Texas)
- Scottsdale (Arizona)
- Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
- Chandler (Arizona)
- Durham (Caroline du Nord)
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Fremont, California
- Nashville (Tennessee)
- Gilbert (Arizona)
- Mesa (Arizona)
Lots of Cafes and Low Taxes in Austin
More than 38% of Austin residents were already working from home in 2021, told CNBC Susannah Snider of SmartAsset, who explains:
“Austin has a high concentration of cafes […] and also performed well on our income tax rate measure because the state of Texas does not levy income tax.”
Scottsdale, she points out, also got good marks on tax rates: a worker earning the equivalent of $75,280 a year will pay less than 23% in federal and state taxes. from Arizona.
CBS News note that Pittsburgh “is the only city in the top 10 where median monthly housing costs are lower than [1 000 euros] per month, with the study noting that larger homes that can accommodate an office offer better options for remote work”.
The Charlotte Observer highlights the strengths of North Carolina’s largest city identified by the study: “Charlotte had the 11th highest percentage of workers who worked from home in 2021, at 34.6%.” It costs about the equivalent of 1,300 euros to stay every month in the 17e largest city in the United States. Noteworthy, the daily underlines again: “Nearly 37% of Charlotte residences have two or more bedrooms.”
California generally poorly rated
SmartAsset notes in its study that in thirteen of the cities studied, “more than a third of workers operate from home”. This figure exceeds 48% in three cities: Arlington, Virginia, Washington and Fremont, California. The fintech company’s report, however, is unflattering for the Golden State: eight of the ten worst cities for remote working are located in California due to the high cost of living and high taxes that reach nearly 25% for a salary equivalent to 75,000 euros per year. These are Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Fresno, Chula Vista, Santa Ana, Stockton, Riverside and Anaheim.