Remote work continues to be a significant aspect of the employment landscape in the United States, with approximately 12% of full-time employees working fully remotely and 27% adopting hybrid work models. A recent analysis by WalletHub evaluated all 50 states plus Washington, DC, to identify the best locations for remote work based on various factors including internet access, costs, cybersecurity, and home environment.
Utah emerged as the top state for remote work, excelling primarily due to its low electricity costs, reasonable internet prices, and large average home size. Utah boasts the nation’s largest homes with an average size of 2,459 square feet and ranks third in broadband household access, making it an ideal environment for working from home.
Close behind Utah are Delaware and Connecticut, which secured second and third places respectively. Delaware scored highly due to its large average home size of 2,064 square feet, ranking ninth nationally, alongside a high percentage of workers who have the potential to work remotely (97%). Connecticut was noted for having the lowest internet prices in the country and broad access to broadband, facilitating remote work for its population. Around 16% of Connecticut’s workforce currently works remotely.
Other states ranking among the top 15 include Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland. These locations demonstrated varying strengths such as substantial shares of remote workers, high internet access rates, or favorable living environments that support effective remote work.
For instance, Massachusetts has the highest number of households with internet access in the nation, and a 2025 survey indicated that 85% of businesses in the Greater Boston area use hybrid work models. Similarly, New Jersey ranks highly for internet accessibility, and Tennessee’s Nashville metropolitan area shows a high concentration of remote workers.
On the other end of the spectrum, states such as Alaska, Montana, and West Virginia were ranked lowest due to high internet costs and other challenges related to remote work infrastructure.
WalletHub’s rankings were based on data gathered from sources including the US Census Bureau, US Energy Information Administration, and Zillow. The evaluation considered both work environment factors—such as the percentage of remote workers, internet access, and cybersecurity—as well as living environment factors like home size, internet costs, and electricity expenses.
While the COVID-19 pandemic initially accelerated remote work adoption, it has since become ingrained in certain industries, with some states proving more conducive to this shift due to their infrastructure and living conditions. This analysis provides insights for employees and employers to consider location advantages for work-from-home arrangements in the evolving job market.
