These U.S. States Offer the Best Conditions for Remote Workers

As remote work gives more Americans the freedom to choose where they live, salaries and housing costs are no longer the only considerations. Internet speeds, coworking access, digital security and the number of people already working remotely can all affect whether a location is suitable for working from home.

Researchers at Abogados NOW compared 48 states using seven measures of remote-work suitability, including download speeds, rent, annual salaries, remote-working rates, taxation, cybercrime complaints and the availability of coworking spaces.

New York ranks first overall, combining an average annual salary of $66,931 with more coworking spaces per resident than any other state analyzed. It has 2.19 coworking spaces per 100,000 residents, giving remote professionals more options when they need meeting rooms, networking opportunities or an alternative to working at home.

Colorado ranks second and has the highest percentage of residents working remotely full time, at 15.8%. It also has the second-highest concentration of coworking spaces and an average salary of $64,330. Rhode Island takes third, offering a particularly strong balance between its 227.10 Mbps average download speed and average rent of $1,208.

Massachusetts ranks fourth, supported by the third-highest average salary in the ranking at $66,814 and a remote-working rate of 13.3%. Maryland follows in fifth, with the second-fastest internet speed at 238.26 Mbps and the second-highest proportion of full-time remote workers, at 14.6%.

Delaware ranks sixth and has the fastest average download speed of any state in the study, reaching 246.95 Mbps. Oregon is seventh, with the fourth-highest remote-working rate and the sixth-highest annual salary. New Jersey and Connecticut take eighth and ninth, respectively, with both states ranking among the four fastest for average download speed.

Washington rounds out the top 10. Its average annual salary of $69,290 is the highest in the study, while 14.5% of residents work remotely for all their hours, the third-highest proportion analyzed.

At the other end of the rankings, West Virginia ranks last, with an average annual salary of $47,362 and only 5.2% of residents working remotely full time. It also has fewer coworking spaces and slower internet than most states in the analysis. Montana ranks 47th, with an average download speed of 129.73 Mbps, the second slowest recorded.

Wyoming ranks 46th, with only 5.1% of residents working remotely full time and an average internet speed of 147.19 Mbps. Idaho is 45th and has the slowest connection speed in the study at 124.57 Mbps. Arkansas ranks 44th, recording one of the lowest remote-working rates, one of the lowest annual salaries and the second-lowest level of coworking availability.

The full list:

Rank	State	Avg. Download Speed (Mbps)	Average Rent ($)	% Who Telework All Hours	Annual Salary ($)	ROAM Taxation Index	Cybercrime Complaints per 100,000 Residents	Coworking Spaces per 100,000 Residents	Total Score
1	New York	208.05	1,178	8.6	66,931	49	226.3	2.19	74.81
2	Colorado	219.79	2,176	15.8	64,330	41	313.4	2.11	68.45
3	Rhode Island	227.1	1,208	9.9	59,913	45	240.8	1.18	67.33
4	Massachusetts	218.54	1,665	13.3	66,814	48	318.3	1.18	66.98
5	Maryland	238.26	1,423	14.6	59,376	23	308.0	0.77	63.16
6	Delaware	246.95	1,981	10	61,231	50	289.4	0.57	62.77
7	Oregon	209.69	2,212	14.1	64,683	33	290.8	1.06	60.63
8	New Jersey	235.67	2,692	11.2	62,110	39	214.6	0.25	60.27
9	Connecticut	233.88	1,714	10.7	58,198	37	262.0	0.61	60.12
10	Washington	201.11	2,043	14.5	69,290	1	317.9	1.15	59.44
11	Virginia	230.49	2,018	13.9	60,654	24	284.8	0.54	59.24
12	Pennsylvania	204.66	1,636	11	61,325	31	237.1	0.65	58.64
13	North Dakota	171.03	1,076	6	64,732	17	176.3	0.89	57.41
14	Illinois	201.12	1,239	9.7	59,283	11	258.1	1.25	56.94
15	California	223.59	1,838	11.1	60,377	40	293.5	0.26	56.09
16	New Hampshire	217.06	1,419	12	59,496	1	308.9	1.07	56.03
17	North Carolina	197.61	1,356	10.4	55,599	42	231.4	0.74	55.33
18	Vermont	166.4	1,633	11.8	65,048	18	243.7	0.77	53.49
19	Missouri	196.43	1,365	9.3	57,386	38	224.2	0.16	52.91
20	Nebraska	177.37	2,187	8.7	58,330	43	184.1	1.11	52.52
21	Utah	218.06	2,043	12	55,695	34	277.9	0.35	51.39
22	Texas	225.74	2,018	10.7	56,997	1	307.4	0.97	50.98
23	Tennessee	205.07	1,653	8.5	55,526	1	222.5	0.87	50.72
24	Kansas	186.88	1,240	8.5	54,562	44	265.1	0.95	50.51
25	Minnesota	164.68	1,364	12.4	59,919	13	233.1	0.64	50.27
26	Ohio	188.2	1,753	9.3	58,162	19	231.3	0.71	50.06
27	Michigan	193.19	1,329	10.3	53,323	26	217.6	0.36	49.95
28	Arizona	200.64	1,150	13.9	57,011	15	375.3	0.89	49.90
29	Alabama	191.88	1,324	4.6	55,451	35	191.2	0.39	49.78
30	Georgia	194.98	1,684	10.9	51,658	22	229.6	1.02	49.51
31	South Carolina	199.35	1,548	8.3	56,771	30	263.9	0.49	49.49
32	Mississippi	187.07	1,722	3.1	57,940	46	172.8	0.24	49.09
33	Nevada	220.91	2,429	7.9	62,298	1	402.5	1.93	48.70
34	Indiana	206.46	1,333	7.4	58,215	10	298.2	0.41	47.99
35	Oklahoma	216.91	1,816	5.3	56,488	36	289.9	0.49	47.94
36	Wisconsin	183.11	1,633	8.4	61,751	21	278.4	0.44	47.89
37	New Mexico	173.62	1,564	7.2	59,286	32	265.9	0.71	46.54
38	Louisiana	203.11	1,894	5.5	52,315	28	187.2	0.15	45.37
39	Maine	173.23	2,876	11.6	59,233	14	204.8	0.64	44.39
40	Iowa	150.74	1,336	6.6	57,463	27	166.5	0.19	44.35
41	Florida	232.8	1,640	10	45,718	1	301.4	0.83	44.09
42	Kentucky	183.31	2,057	6.6	53,135	25	203.5	0.46	42.16
43	South Dakota	164.71	1,452	5.5	61,178	1	270.0	0.43	40.81
44	Arkansas	194.82	2,666	5.1	50,589	47	198.3	0.16	38.93
45	Idaho	124.57	1,344	8	57,562	29	220.4	0.40	37.98
46	Wyoming	147.19	1,471	5.1	58,806	1	263.0	0.68	36.48
47	Montana	129.73	1,558	8.8	56,152	12	229.0	0.53	35.61
48	West Virginia	164.85	1,648	5.2	47,362	16	237.9	0.28	30.66

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Methodology: The study evaluated U.S. states based on the factors that have the greatest impact on the remote work experience. Each state was scored across seven weighted metrics using the following methodology: Internet Speed – 25%, Annual Salary – 20%, Average Rent – 15%, Cybercrime Complaints per 100,000 Residents – 15%, Percentage of Workers Who Telework All Hours – 10%, Coworking Spaces per 100,000 Residents – 10%, and ROAM Taxation Index – 5%.

Sources: TestMySpeed, RentCafe, Patriot Software, ZipRecruiter, Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Coworker.com, National Taxpayers Union Foundation (ROAM Index)