The pandemic sparked a revolution in remote employment and digital nomadism, with the number of Americans working from home tripling between 2019 and 2021. The WFH workforce increased from 9 million workers, or 5.7% of the overall employment, to 28 million, or 17.9%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Rent.com rankings and methodology
To determine which cities are best for remote work, the Rent.com researchers examined the following data:
- Annual changes in median rent and rental rates
- Internet accessibility and typical internet speeds
- Coworking spaces and the number of WFH residents
The study appears to approach remote work as a more formal employment in a permanent metropolitan location by concentrating on long-term rental prices, co-working space density, and internet plan speeds.
According to “Median Rent Score,” “Average Mbps Score,” “Lowest Cost Internet Score,” and “%Population WFH Score,” the report contains a comprehensive list of the top 100 cities. Each U.S. city under consideration receives a “Total Score” based on the sum of these five factors. Below are the top 10 cities on Rent.com:
| Rank | City, State |
| 1 | Orlando, FL |
| 2 | Austin, TX |
| 3 | North Charleston, SC |
| 4 | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 5 | Columbus, GA |
| 6 | Atlanta, GA |
| 7 | Green Bay, WI |
| 8 | Houston, TX |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC |
| 10 | Appleton, WI |
Interesting conclusions that stand out from the study include:
- Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina demonstrate strong appeal for remote workers, as each state boasts three cities that secure a place among the top 25 best cities for remote work.
- Remarkably, 24 out of the 25 top remote work cities are located in the Southern or Midwestern regions of the United States, highlighting their attractiveness for remote professionals. The lone West Coast representative within the top 25 cities is San Francisco.
- Notably, the majority of these remote work cities are smaller metropolitan areas with populations below 250,000 residents.
Zumper city rankings and methodology
Zumper collaborated with the author of remote work and former “digital nomad” Tamara Sanderson to create their own ranking of the best cities. They used the following factors:
- Short-term rental prices
- Cost of living
- Distance to the airport
- Air quality
- Availability of entertainment and restaurants
- Transportation options
- Access to free WiFi
According to Zumper, the following towns are the friendliest for digital nomads:
| Rank | City, State |
| 1 | Columbus, OH |
| 2 | Portland, OR |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO |
| 4 | Houston, TX |
| 5 | St Louis, MO |
| 6 | Chicago, IL |
| 7 | Cincinatti, OH |
| 8 | San Antonio, TX |
| 9 | Detroit, MI |
| 10 | Denver, CO |
| 11 | Minneapolis, MN |