The 5 Best States for Remote Jobs So You Can Earn Cash While Working From Home
Live in Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Delaware or Maryland and looking to work from home? You’re in luck: New research shows that these are the top five states to work from home, with conditions that make it most favorable to thrive in a remote gig. To determine the states where it’s most ideal to work from home, ergonomic furniture maker Desky analyzed internet speeds, electricity costs and remote job openings in all 50 states. Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Delaware and Maryland were found to have the best infrastructure to support a work-from-home setup.
Translation? In these states, you have more opportunities to land a remote role, plus you’re more likely to enjoy a reliable Internet connection and utility costs that aren’t exorbitant (compared to other states). Read on to learn more about the top five states, plus expert tips on landing your own WFH job!
And for all things work-from-home, click here and here!
What state is best for remote work?
Best state to work remotely: Virginia
Average internet speed: 505.6 megabytes per second
Electricity cost: 12.4 cents per kilowatt-hour
Remote job vacancies: 23 remote job vacancies per 10,000 people
Virginia ranks second for internet speeds across all states, and in the top five for job vacancies. Given its proximity to the nation’s capital, it’s no surprise that many Virginians work for the government — where the amount of remote roles available may surprise you (click through to learn more about work from home government jobs).
Virginia is also home to several tech-focused Fortune 500 companies. A recent study revealed that Virginia has the highest demand for tech workers in the US, with 843 tech-related job vacancies per 100,000 people.
2nd best state to work remotely: Washington
Average internet speed: 451 megabytes per second
Electricity cost: 9.79 cents per kilowatt-hour
Remote job vacancies: 14 remote job vacancies per 10,000 people
Washington ranks second for electricity cost and is in the top five for internet speeds, landing it in second place overall. This state is particularly abundant in healthcare jobs — a field where remote roles (such as telehealth, virtual nursing, virtual medical coding, etc.) are on the rise. In 2023, six of Washington’s top 10 employers as measured by job openings were healthcare companies, according to the state Employment Security Department — and there were more openings for registered nurses than any other position. Other top employers in Washington include Amazon and Starbucks, both of which offer various remote job opportunities (click through to learn six ways to make money working for Amazon).
Related: Yes, You Can Be a Nurse and Work From Home — 3 Top Ways to Earn Money
3rd best state to work remotely: Arizona
Average internet speed: 396.1 megabytes per second
Electricity cost: 13.16 cents per kilowatt-hour
Remote job vacancies: 40 remote job vacancies per 10,000 people (the most of any state)
When it comes to the amount of remote job vacancies, Arizona actually ranks first of all the states. Home to major companies like Northrop Grumman and Honeywell Aerospace (plus lots of smaller startups), this southwestern state is hot in job opportunities in the aerospace and defense industry. There’s also an abundance of openings for roles in office/administrative support and customer service — many of which can be done remotely. In addition, big companies like PetSmart, Banner Health and Circle K are all headquartered in Arizona.
4th best state to work remotely: Delaware
Average internet speed: 469.7 megabytes per second
Electricity cost: 13.21 cents per kilowatt-hour
Remote job vacancies: 21 remote job vacancies for every 10,000 people.
Delaware may be the smallest state, but it’s home to many major industries and employers — including manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and agriculture. It’s also home to one of the biggest Air Force bases in the country, Dover Air Force Base, and a high concentration of government workers. The financial services industry makes up 9 percent of all jobs in Delaware, making it the highest relative concentration of financial services jobs in any state.
Related: You Can Earn Up to $75,000 a Year Working From Home for the IRS — Here’s How
5th best state to work remotely: Maryland
Average internet speed: 506.7 megabytes per second
Electricity cost: 13.92 cents per kilowatt-hour
Remote job vacancies: 18 remote job vacancies per 10,000 people.
Rounding out the top five is Maryland, although it wins first place for average internet speeds of any state. With 74 federal labs (twice as many as any state), there are tons of remote opportunities in the government sector — not to mention 350 federal, academic and private research centers, 20 military facilities and more than 60 federal civilian agencies. Other major employers include Under Armour, Lockheed Martin, Marriott and T. Rowe Price, plus Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the nation’s top hospitals.
How to find work-from-home jobs in any state
Didn’t see your state on the list? Not to worry — it’s all about knowing where to look for work-from-home jobs. Here are a few expert tips!
1. Embrace online platforms for remote work
There’s no shortage of sites that exist solely to help you find remote job opportunities. Trusted platforms for WFH gigs include FlexJobs, SkipTheDrive, We Work Remotely, RemoteOK, Remotive and Working Nomads.
Stephen Greet, CEO and co-founder of BeamJobs, also recommends looking beyond the major job boards. He shares that communities like Reddit and Facebook Groups can provide leads on open positions as members share opportunities.
“Following relevant hashtags like #remotejobs on social media is another option,” he says. “With more companies offering location flexibility, networking and crowdsourcing openings from peers who have already made the remote transition can uncover opportunities.”
Feeling overwhelmed by all the job platforms out there? Amanda Augustine, a nationally renowned career expert for TopResume, recommends checking out blogger Ryan Robinson's collection of remote job websites, which groups 65 (!) job boards by specific fields.
2. Search smarter, not harder for work-from-home jobs
A few smart hacks can make your online job search even easier. For instance, consider setting up customized alerts so that you can let the jobs come to you and get notified as soon as new listings are posted.
Don’t forget to check traditional job boards (such as Indeed). Now that remote work has become more of the norm, job boards that aren’t work-from-home-specific also feature opportunities.
“If you’ve found a platform that advertises relevant job listings, use the advanced search filters to target roles that allow you to work from home,” says Augustine. “For example, when searching for jobs on LinkedIn, you can filter your search results by on-site, hybrid or remote. If a job board doesn’t give you the opportunity to select “Remote” or “Virtual” as the location, you can test out each of the following terms as part of your keyword search: “remote,” “virtual,” “work-from-home,” “WFH” and “telecommute.””
Another way to go about finding remote opportunities is to specifically target companies that are known to support virtual work on a full-time basis for some or all of its employees, says Augustine. Lists like these from Indeed and FlexJobs can help you pinpoint employers that are more likely to seek remote employees like yourself.
3. Leverage your network if you're working remote
Last, but not least, don’t underestimate the power of your network! In fact, studies show that you’re 10 times more likely to land a job when you know someone at the company. Augustine encourages job seekers to reach out to your personal and professional contacts and let them know you are searching for opportunities that will allow you to work from home.
“Networking is a great way to gather leads on job opportunities — especially those in the ‘hidden job market’ — and potentially snag a referral that will make it easier to land the job,” she says.
For more work from home content, click through the links below!
How to Make Money from Home: Turn Your Idea Into A Million Dollars — No Experience Needed
7 Ways to Earn Extra Money Working From Home Based on Your Personality
Turn Your Clutter Into Cash — 5 Easy Ways to Get Paid for Recycling Unwanted Items
