According to a study from the personal finance website WalletHub, Connecticut is one of the best states for remote work. It comes in at an impressive fourth place after New Jersey, DC, and Delaware.
WalletHub measured various key metrics for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Those metrics include the following:
- Internet cost
- Average retail price of electricity
- Share of potential telecommuters
- Share of population working from home (pre-Covid-19)
- Percentage of households with internet access
- Cybersecurity
Connecticut has the second-highest rate of internet access, second only to Massachusetts.
Since internet access is the only thing that’s absolutely necessary for most remote work, that gave the state a considerable boost in the rankings even though it didn’t make the top five in any other category.
Aside from key metrics, WalletHub also considered quality-of-life issues like cost of living and average home size. The state ranked 13th for average square feet per home.
Notably, Connecticut wasn’t in the bottom five for any ranking, unlike certain other New England states.
Despite ranking just behind Connecticut overall, Massachusetts was in the bottom five when it comes to the average retail price of electricity.
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont also had unimpressive rankings in some categories. Though Connecticut and Massachusetts were both in the top five overall, the next highest state in the region was Rhode Island, at 19th place.
Before COVID-19, remote work was unusual, and few companies would have allowed it. However, the pandemic forced businesses to send their employees home.
Though most expected remote employment to end along with the pandemic, it appears that those predictions won’t come true. Many people love the benefits of remote work — convenience, better work-life balance, no commutes, and more — so much that they’re unwilling to go back to the office.