Best places to live for remote workers
When your salary travels with you, the local job market stops deciding where you live. This ranking of 103 US metros leans on what actually changes a remote worker’s life: what a home costs against local incomes, how far a paycheck stretches, whether the climate is livable year-round, how safe the streets are, and how healthy the self-employment scene is for contractors and freelancers.
Live data: 103 of 103 metros refreshed — BLS unemployment 2026-07 · FBI crime 2025 · Census ACS ACS 2024 5-year · Zillow ZHVI 2026-07-31 · last refresh Sep 6, 2026. Sources and limits.
How this ranking is weighted
Every metro is scored against the same 14 factors, then weighted for remote work. Commute time is set to zero and the local job market is turned almost all the way down.
- Home affordability5/5
- Income vs. cost5/5
- Temperate climate4/5
- Safe neighbourhoods4/5
- Self-employment health4/5
- Property growth3/5
- College pipeline3/5
- Healthcare access3/5
- School academics2/5
- School sports & recruiting2/5
- Population diversity2/5
- Faith community1/5
- Job market1/5
Want a different balance? Move the sliders yourself or read the full methodology.
The top 25 metros for remote work
- 3
$473k typical home · 5.0× median income · 224k residents
Income vs. cost 84Temperate climate 79Safe neighbourhoods 73weak: Population diversity 34weak: Home affordability 38 - 4
$411k typical home · 4.9× median income · 602k residents
Temperate climate 91Income vs. cost 62College pipeline 100 - 5
PhiladelphiaPA
67.2$392k typical home · 4.3× median income · 6,272k residents
Income vs. cost 82Home affordability 62Temperate climate 75weak: School academics 18weak: Faith community 39 - 8
Washington DCDC
66.7$590k typical home · 5.0× median income · 6,380k residents
Income vs. cost 98Self-employment health 94Temperate climate 82weak: Safe neighbourhoods 0weak: Job market 2 - 12
$395k typical home · 4.0× median income · 3,714k residents
Income vs. cost 96Home affordability 79Self-employment health 83weak: Temperate climate 10weak: Property growth 10 - 14
$365k typical home · 4.1× median income · 7,986k residents
Home affordability 75Income vs. cost 72Self-employment health 83weak: Property growth 16weak: Job market 24 - 17
CincinnatiOH
62.2$311k typical home · 3.8× median income · 2,271k residents
Home affordability 80Income vs. cost 66Temperate climate 65weak: Population diversity 27weak: Self-employment health 39 - 18
HuntsvilleAL
61.2$317k typical home · 3.7× median income · 517k residents
Income vs. cost 92Home affordability 86Temperate climate 85weak: School sports & recruiting 16weak: Healthcare access 23 - 20
Virginia BeachVA
61.0$376k typical home · 4.6× median income · 1,787k residents
Temperate climate 99Safe neighbourhoods 73Income vs. cost 50weak: College pipeline 39 - 23
Des MoinesIA
59.9$296k typical home · 3.4× median income · 731k residents
Home affordability 96Income vs. cost 88Safe neighbourhoods 80weak: School sports & recruiting 1weak: Population diversity 20
What this ranking does not measure
Locationistics has no broadband speed, coworking supply or state income tax data yet, and those matter to remote workers. Treat the list as a shortlist of places worth checking on those fronts, not a final answer. Housing figures come from Zillow, income and commuting from the Census ACS, unemployment from the BLS, and crime from the FBI, all refreshed weekly.