Today roughly 59% of workers in the United States have remote positions that can be done working from their home most of the time. The opportunity to work out of the company office has allowed a good percentage of these workers to move to a location that better fits their lifestyle, not their employer’s.
It has been found that since 2020 the amount of individuals that have relocated away from where their employer is based has increased from 9% to 17%. Quite a few of these individuals are being attracted to smaller communities versus the hustle and bustle of big cities.
For example, many small towns in the Midwest are doing their best to attract these remote workers who are considering making a move. These towns are using their sense of community in order to entice families to relocate.
The main reasons remote workers are choosing to move to smaller areas is because of the opportunity to connect with others in a close-knit community and due to affordability. Although workers may lose the connections they once had in the big cities, it has been found that sometimes this can be replaced with the sense of community that individuals find in quaint towns. Besides this, workers might choose to make the move due to the increased safety in smaller areas compared to large cities.
Some smaller towns in the Midwest have even created incentives to attract new families. For example, Greensburg, Indiana now has a relocation package which includes $5,000 in gift cards to the seasonal farmers market in their community. The city also has a “Grandparents on Demand” service that can offer free baby-sitting for those who are new to the area.
These incentive packages can be very beneficial to smaller towns, especially those with an aging and stagnant population. For example, Quincy, Illinois has created a campaign called “Quincy’s Calling” this past September in order to encourage new families to relocate to their community.
Families that choose to relocate can apply for a $5,000 rebate on property taxes or a $3,500 rebate on rent payments. The only criteria is that these individuals must have accepted a job in Adams County or reside within city limits for a certain amount of time. As of March 2022, 55 families have relocated to Quincy through this campaign which includes a number of remote workers.
Remote work has been a game changer for a lot of individuals as it has helped them realize what matters most in their lives. It has also given them the freedom and the opportunity to move to an area that better fits their lifestyle. As remote work is here to stay in our society, we will most likely see an increase in the number of workers who choose to move to smaller towns so they can have a better sense of community and enjoy the benefits of a simple life.
