At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses shifted to remote work in order to continue operating. Although daily life has returned to normal, a significant number of employers have maintained flexible arrangements. In fact, 12% of full-time employees work fully remote, while another 27% follow a hybrid schedule that splits time between home and the office.
As remote opportunities become more common, not everyone has an ideal setup for working from home. Strong remote-work conditions typically include affordable living costs, a comfortable home environment, and reliable security.
Where you live can play a big role in how easy it is to work remotely. To determine which states offer the best work-from-home conditions, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia using 12 key metrics. The analysis looks at factors such as the percentage of people working remotely, internet costs, and cybersecurity, along with home size and household crowding.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Main Findings
Best States for Remote Work
|
Overall Rank |
State |
Total Score |
Work Environment Rank |
Living Environment Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 70.07 | 9 | 1 |
| 2 | Delaware | 67.25 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 66.64 | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | Maryland | 65.65 | 3 | 31 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 65.65 | 5 | 30 |
| 6 | New Jersey | 65.31 | 2 | 40 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 64.92 | 7 | 20 |
| 8 | Washington | 63.99 | 12 | 11 |
| 9 | Virginia | 63.24 | 11 | 14 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 62.84 | 15 | 12 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 62.40 | 17 | 8 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 62.19 | 21 | 4 |
| 13 | Georgia | 61.18 | 28 | 3 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 61.14 | 10 | 35 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | 60.83 | 8 | 41 |
| 16 | Ohio | 60.49 | 13 | 32 |
| 17 | Nevada | 60.21 | 20 | 23 |
| 18 | Arizona | 60.16 | 22 | 19 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | 59.83 | 1 | 50 |
| 20 | Oregon | 59.38 | 26 | 22 |
| 21 | Texas | 59.31 | 27 | 13 |
| 22 | Kentucky | 59.17 | 24 | 26 |
| 23 | Colorado | 59.09 | 31 | 10 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 58.00 | 32 | 9 |
| 25 | Florida | 57.46 | 25 | 34 |
| 26 | New York | 57.20 | 14 | 44 |
| 27 | Nebraska | 57.18 | 37 | 5 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | 57.04 | 19 | 38 |
| 29 | Michigan | 56.89 | 16 | 43 |
| 30 | Illinois | 56.70 | 18 | 42 |
| 31 | Kansas | 56.45 | 36 | 17 |
| 32 | California | 56.35 | 23 | 39 |
| 33 | Indiana | 56.06 | 33 | 24 |
| 34 | Alabama | 55.36 | 34 | 27 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 54.83 | 35 | 29 |
| 36 | Missouri | 54.06 | 38 | 28 |
| 37 | South Dakota | 53.51 | 42 | 21 |
| 38 | North Dakota | 53.35 | 48 | 2 |
| 39 | Idaho | 53.14 | 43 | 16 |
| 40 | Maine | 52.88 | 29 | 45 |
| 41 | Vermont | 50.99 | 41 | 37 |
| 42 | New Mexico | 50.96 | 44 | 33 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 50.94 | 46 | 15 |
| 44 | Iowa | 49.39 | 39 | 46 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 49.22 | 47 | 25 |
| 46 | Arkansas | 49.16 | 45 | 36 |
| 47 | Wyoming | 49.15 | 49 | 6 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 48.24 | 30 | 49 |
| 49 | West Virginia | 45.86 | 40 | 47 |
| 50 | Montana | 35.03 | 50 | 48 |
| 51 | Alaska | 22.45 | 51 | 51 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that category.
- Highest
- 1. District of Columbia
- 2. Colorado
- 3. Washington
- 4. Maryland
- 5. Oregon
- Lowest
- T-47. Alabama
- T-47. Arkansas
- T-49. Louisiana
- T-49. North Dakota
- 51. Mississippi
- Highest
- 1. Mississippi
- 2. Alabama
- 3. Louisiana
- 4. Kentucky
- 5. West Virginia
- Lowest
- 47. Alaska
- 48. North Dakota
- 49. Colorado
- 50. Montana
- 51. Vermont
- Highest
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Connecticut
- 3. District of Columbia
- 4. New Jersey
- 5. Washington
- Lowest
- 47. Arkansas
- 48. West Virginia
- 49. Oklahoma
- 50. Montana
- 51. Mississippi
- Highest
- 1. Nebraska
- 2. Kentucky
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Rhode Island
- 5. Wisconsin
- Lowest
- 47. Florida
- 48. Washington
- 49. Nevada
- 50. California
- 51. District of Columbia
- Lowest
- 1. North Dakota
- 2. Idaho
- 3. Nebraska
- 4. Louisiana
- 5. Montana
- Highest
- T-38. Maine
- T-38. Rhode Island
- T-38. Massachusetts
- T-38. California
- T-38. Hawaii
- Lowest
- 1. Connecticut
- 2. North Dakota
- 3. South Carolina
- T-4. Hawaii
- T-4. South Dakota
- Highest
- 47. Vermont
- 48. District of Columbia
- 49. West Virginia
- 50. Montana
- 51. Alaska
In-Depth Look at the Best States for Working From Home
Utah
Utah is the best state for working remotely, and it has one of the lowest electricity prices in the country, which plays a big part in minimizing the cost of staying home all day. It also has reasonable internet costs, and the third-highest share of households with broadband internet.
One place where Utah stands out that many people probably don’t think about is home square footage. Utah has the biggest homes in the country, at an average of 2,459 square feet. This helps prevent people from feeling cooped up while they are working from home.
Currently, 18% of Utah’s workforce works from home, but over 95% could do their jobs from home in the future.
Delaware
Delaware is the second-best state for working from home, with 15% of the workforce currently doing so and nearly 97% having the potential to.
Delaware has the 9th highest broadband-internet access and for people who do have internet, nearly 97% have access to internet speeds over 25 mbps, which should provide a smooth work-from-home experience in most cases.
The First State also has the ninth-highest average home square footages in the country, at 2,064 square feet. Homes aren’t particularly crowded, either. The median amount of square footage per person is above 832 square feet.
Connecticut
Connecticut is the third-best state for working from home, with the cheapest internet prices in the country and very high access to broadband internet. Solid internet is essential for working from home. With an average home size exceeding 1,950 square feet, Connecticut State ranks among the top half in the nation.
Currently, 16% of Connecticut’s workforce does work from home, but nearly 96% of the workforce has the potential to telecommute, meaning that their jobs could be conducted remotely.
Ask the Experts
For more insight on the shift toward working at home, we turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts' profiles below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What is the work from home outlook for 2026 and beyond?
- Should companies invest more of their resources in establishing a functional work from home alternative for their employees?
- What are the most important advantages and disadvantages of working from home?
- In evaluating the best work from home infrastructure, what are the top 3 indicators?
- Does working from home affect employee engagement?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Business and Management - Lynn University
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Ph.D. – Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Sociology - University of Colorado Denver
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Ed.D. – Assistant Professor of Management, H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship - Nova Southeastern University
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Assistant Professor, Management and Human Resources, School of Business - University of Wisconsin – Madison
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Ph.D. – Assistant Vice President- Economic & Community Development, Office of the Provost - West Virginia University
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Founder & President of Eagle Backer Advisors, LLC and Executive Leadership Ph.D. Student – Clemson University School of Business
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Methodology
In order to identify the best states for working from home, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Work Environment” and “Living Environment.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 12 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best infrastructure.
We then determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Work Environment - Total Points: 60
- Share of Workers Working from Home: Triple Weight (~22.50 Points)
- Share of Potential Telecommuters: Double Weight (~15.00 Points)
Note: Potential telecommuters are considered to be those in occupations classified as conducive to telecommuting: executive, administrative, managerial; professional specialty; technicians and related; sales; and administrative support. - Households’ Internet Access: Double Weight (~15.00 Points)
Note: This composite metric measures both the share of households with a broadband subscription and the share of households with access to broadband speeds greater than 25 Mbps. - Cybersecurity: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)
Note: This composite metric measures the number of internet crime victims per capita, the average amount lost as a result of internet crime and the cybersecurity risk index.
Living Environment - Total Points: 40
- Average Retail Price of Electricity: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Access to Wired Low-priced Internet Plan: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This metrics refers to low-priced broadband plans and it is a composite metric that includes:- Cable
- DSL
- Fiber
- Internet Cost: Quadruple Weight (~13.33 Points)
Note: This metrics refers to the price per Mbps. - Median Square Footage per Average Number of Persons in a Household: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Share of Detached Housing Units: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Average Home Square Footage: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Share of for Sale Homes with Lot Greater than 1,000 Square Feet: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
- Share of for Sale Homes with Swimming Pool: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of March 9, 2026 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Global Workplace Analytics, HighSpeedInternet.com, Internet Crime Complaint Center, Wakefield Research, U.S. Energy Information Administration, BroadbandNow, Allconnect, Realtor and Zillow.
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