Key points
- Ooma scored all 50 states on remote workers’ pay, rent, electricity prices, internet speed and wireless taxes, then added the scores into a total work from home (WFH) score.
- North Dakota ranks first with the top score of 300, followed by South Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont and Kentucky.
- California is last (57.18), behind Hawaii (78.13) and Florida (124.53).
- Rent compared with pay counts double, so cheap housing does most to lift a state. In North Dakota median rent is 14.14% of the average remote salary; in Florida it is 34.52%.
Best states for remote workers, the graphic in text
Title: The Best U.S. States to Work From Home. Intro: Ooma has identified the best states for working from home by scoring each state on average salary for remote workers, rent, internet speed, electricity cost, and taxes and fees for wireless services. A shaded map uses six score bands: 300, 299 to 250, 249 to 200, 199 to 150, 149 to 100 and 99 to 50.
Columns: average WFH monthly salary, median monthly rent, salary-to-rent ratio (rent as a percentage of salary), electricity price in cents per kWh, internet speed in Mbps, wireless taxes and fees, and the total WFH score.
| Rank | State | WFH monthly salary | Median rent | Rent to salary | Electricity (c/kWh) | Internet (Mbps) | Wireless taxes | WFH score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $5,853.92 | $828 | 14.14% | 10.5 | 244.3 | 15.62% | 300 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $5,532.50 | $761 | 13.76% | 11.79 | 191.7 | 14.35% | 290.3 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $4,713.83 | $818 | 17.35% | 11.3 | 351 | 16.09% | 280.85 |
| 4 | Vermont | $5,420.67 | $999 | 18.43% | 21.22 | 408.2 | 8.9% | 280.03 |
| 5 | Kentucky | $4,568.75 | $783 | 17.14% | 12.48 | 261.8 | 11.09% | 272.35 |
| 6 | Missouri | $4,837.42 | $843 | 17.43% | 11.43 | 293.4 | 14.91% | 271.92 |
| 7 | Delaware | $5,102.58 | $1,150 | 22.54% | 15.73 | 469.7 | 6.79% | 270.91 |
| 8 | South Carolina | $4,795.58 | $918 | 19.14% | 14.21 | 373.4 | 13.06% | 270.21 |
| 9 | Oregon | $5,883.75 | $1,173 | 19.94% | 14.23 | 316.9 | 7.48% | 269.62 |
| 10 | Idaho | $4,614.58 | $887 | 19.22% | 11.26 | 230.1 | 2.89% | 269.14 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $4,900.50 | $853 | 17.41% | 11.47 | 203.2 | 9.23% | 266.98 |
| 12 | Indiana | $4,492.50 | $844 | 18.79% | 14.11 | 331 | 11.47% | 266.92 |
| 13 | Alabama | $4,279.17 | $811 | 18.95% | 14.98 | 344.6 | 11.38% | 265.24 |
| 14 | Nevada | $5,535.75 | $1,159 | 20.94% | 16.69 | 334.6 | 5.07% | 261.9 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $4,701.42 | $872 | 18.55% | 16.93 | 277.1 | 7.98% | 260.71 |
| 16 | Virginia | $5,061.33 | $1,257 | 24.84% | 13.97 | 505.6 | 7.72% | 259.48 |
| 17 | Ohio | $4,413.92 | $825 | 18.69% | 15.77 | 278.3 | 8.58% | 259.41 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $4,696.58 | $932 | 19.84% | 15.1 | 312.5 | 9.05% | 258.3 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $4,757.00 | $958 | 20.14% | 17.02 | 430.8 | 16.77% | 258.21 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $4,867.42 | $857 | 17.61% | 10.72 | 270 | 20.04% | 256.36 |
| 21 | Mississippi | $4,346.50 | $789 | 18.15% | 13.19 | 226 | 10.04% | 255.94 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $4,515.33 | $857 | 18.98% | 14.14 | 288.7 | 12.4% | 254.97 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $3,946.83 | $732 | 18.55% | 13.98 | 273.2 | 11.6% | 254.43 |
| 24 | Michigan | $4,522.67 | $892 | 19.72% | 18.57 | 334.1 | 9.94% | 252.9 |
| 25 | Iowa | $4,341.17 | $806 | 18.57% | 12.15 | 193.9 | 9.98% | 248.58 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $4,214.00 | $897 | 21.29% | 11.98 | 351.1 | 13.84% | 248.16 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $5,449.75 | $1,031 | 18.92% | 30.97 | 433.3 | 15.62% | 243.88 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $3,964.67 | $876 | 22.1% | 11.25 | 324.9 | 11.7% | 241.65 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $4,317.58 | $760 | 17.6% | 11.89 | 230.4 | 21.34% | 239.61 |
| 30 | Washington | $5,598.58 | $1,337 | 23.88% | 11.4 | 451 | 21.28% | 234.84 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $4,541.00 | $1,010 | 22.24% | 14.36 | 304.2 | 10.38% | 234.19 |
| 32 | Montana | $4,333.33 | $836 | 19.29% | 11.96 | 110.5 | 6.93% | 233.04 |
| 33 | Texas | $4,583.58 | $1,082 | 23.61% | 14.31 | 425.9 | 17.42% | 231.45 |
| 34 | Kansas | $4,092.58 | $863 | 21.09% | 13.74 | 325.7 | 18.08% | 231.05 |
| 35 | Maine | $4,711.33 | $873 | 18.53% | 24.95 | 205.2 | 9.18% | 225.86 |
| 36 | Illinois | $5,059.75 | $1,038 | 20.51% | 15.72 | 324.9 | 22.96% | 224.91 |
| 37 | Arizona | $4,399.58 | $1,097 | 24.93% | 14.46 | 396.1 | 12.68% | 223.82 |
| 38 | Georgia | $3,986.42 | $1,042 | 26.14% | 12.95 | 414.9 | 12.9% | 219.82 |
| 39 | Colorado | $5,463.17 | $1,335 | 24.44% | 14.47 | 347 | 13.42% | 219.04 |
| 40 | Massachusetts | $5,784.00 | $1,336 | 23.1% | 29.25 | 401.2 | 10.59% | 215.4 |
| 41 | Alaska | $5,490.50 | $1,240 | 22.58% | 22.88 | 285.1 | 14.46% | 202.37 |
| 42 | Maryland | $4,973.67 | $1,415 | 28.45% | 17.6 | 506.7 | 15.91% | 201.59 |
| 43 | New York | $5,577.58 | $1,315 | 23.58% | 24.23 | 397.7 | 20.4% | 199.77 |
| 44 | Utah | $4,217.00 | $1,090 | 25.85% | 10.99 | 314.1 | 16.32% | 199.64 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $4,747.25 | $1,368 | 28.82% | 17.69 | 427.8 | 9.23% | 197.24 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | $4,626.00 | $1,145 | 24.75% | 23.76 | 317.9 | 9.17% | 196.86 |
| 47 | Connecticut | $4,377.25 | $1,201 | 27.44% | 29.52 | 314.6 | 8.31% | 161.79 |
| 48 | Florida | $3,528.00 | $1,218 | 34.52% | 15.28 | 322.3 | 15.06% | 124.53 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $5,296.83 | $1,651 | 31.17% | 43.93 | 221.4 | 7.95% | 78.13 |
| 50 | California | $4,823.92 | $1,586 | 32.88% | 31.23 | 93 | 12.78% | 57.18 |
Methodology (as printed): each state was scored on each factor relative to every other state, and the scores were combined; a higher score means a state is better for working from home. Weights: average WFH salary, median rent, electricity price and internet speed at normal weight; the salary-to-rent ratio at double weight; wireless taxes, fees and surcharges at half weight.
Sources (as printed): ZipRecruiter (work from home salary), World Population Review (average rent and internet speed by state), CNET (electricity rates by state) and the Tax Foundation (wireless taxes by state, 2023). Logo: Ooma.
What Ooma’s write-up adds
Ooma published the ranking on 1 August 2024 with a short article [1]. It notes that Colorado has the highest share of remote workers, at 21.2% according to USA Today, but argues that its $1,335 median rent leaves it behind North Dakota, where rent takes 14% of pay against 24% in Colorado [1].
The article also flags points the score does not capture [1]:
- Double taxation. Five states apply a “convenience of the employer” rule, so a remote worker whose employer is based there may owe tax there as well as at home: Connecticut, Delaware, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania. Ooma suggests talking to an accountant.
- No income tax. States without an income tax, such as Nevada, Washington, South Dakota and Alaska, avoid that issue.
- Cities differ. The data is by state, and rents in cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles or San Jose can be far higher than the state median.
Texas for remote workers
Texas ranks 33rd of 50 with a score of 231.45. Its median rent of $1,082 is 23.6% of the average remote salary of $4,583.58 a month, which puts it 37th on the double weighted rent measure. Internet speed is a strength at 425.9 Mbps, faster than 42 other states, while wireless taxes and fees of 17.42% are the seventh highest. As Ooma notes for every state, the figures are state averages, so rent in a particular city may be much higher [1].
Notes on this infographic
- Ratio label. The column is called “salary-to-rent ratio” but the figures are rent divided by salary. A lower percentage is better.
- Score scale. The graphic does not explain the points scale beyond saying higher is better; North Dakota’s 300 is the maximum in the table.
- Small print. Texas’s ratio appears as 23.6% on the graphic and 23.61% in Ooma’s table [1]. “New Jersey” is printed with a stray space.
- Dated inputs. Salaries, rents and electricity prices are the 2024 figures Ooma used and will have changed since.
Sources
- Husain Sumra, Ooma, The best U.S. states to work from home (1 August 2024; article and full data table, opened 30 October 2026).
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
