Even as more companies return to the office, working from home remains a popular choice among employees.
Recent research from Microsoft, which surveyed 31,102 workers around the world between January and February, found that 52% of people are thinking of switching to a full-time remote or hybrid job this year.
Some places, however, are more suitable for remote, flexible work than others – at least according to a new report from WalletHub, which identifies the best and worst states for working from home.
To determine the list, the personal finance website compared 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions: Work environment and living environment.
Twelve metrics were used, including internet cost, cybersecurity, average home square footage and share of detached housing units, and metrics were weighted differently. To calculate the overall score, each state’s weighted average across all metrics was used.
Here are the 10 best states for working from home, according to WalletHub’s report:
1. New Jersey
Total score: 66.75
Work environment ranking: 5
Living environment ranking: 11
2. District of Columbia
Total score: 64.29
Work environment ranking: 1
Living environment ranking: 50
3. Delaware
Total score: 64.03
Work environment ranking: 2
Living environment ranking: 38
4. Connecticut
Total score: 62.18
Work environment ranking: 12
Living environment ranking: 24
5. Massachusetts
Total score: 61.87
Work environment ranking: 3
Living environment ranking: 44
6. Utah
Total score: 61.87
Work environment ranking: 6
Living environment ranking: 27
7. Texas
Total score: 61.59
Work environment ranking: 15
Living environment ranking: 1
8. Washington
Total score: 61.57
Work environment ranking: 11
Living environment ranking: 19
9. Maryland
Total score: 61.48
Work environment ranking: 4
Living environment ranking: 41
10. New York
Total score: 61.11
Work environment ranking: 22
Living environment ranking: 5
WalletHub also identified the 10 worst states for working from home in its report: Alaska, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Arkansas topped the list, followed by Oklahoma, Wyoming, Hawaii, New Mexico and West Virginia.
States in the northeast ranked higher on the list as these places tend to offer more remote jobs, have stronger internet access and cybersecurity to better support telecommuters, Jill Gonzalez, a communications director at WalletHub, tells CNBC Make It.
New Jersey claimed the No. 1 spot for its close proximity to New York City, which offers ample remote and hybrid job opportunities, along with its high volume of detached housing units.
“There’s less people living on top of each other, in small apartments with thin walls, like in some states with bigger cities,” Gonzalez says. “Having a bigger home and more outdoor space makes a huge difference in well-being and just making work from home a little more pleasant.”
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