A comprehensive new study has identified Utah as the top state in the US for working from home, while Alaska, Montana, and West Virginia ranked worst. The analysis by personal finance website WalletHub compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on the quality of their work environment and living environment for remote employees.
The report, published this week, comes as remote work remains a permanent feature for many industries. According to its data, 12% of full-time US employees still work fully remotely, while 27% are on a hybrid schedule.
How the States Were Ranked
WalletHub's ranking was based on two main categories. The work environment score considered metrics including the share of people working from home, household internet access, and state cybersecurity levels. The living environment category factored in average home size, internet costs, and electricity costs.
Data was sourced from the US Census Bureau, the US Energy Information Administration, Zillow, and other official organisations. "While work-from-home jobs can be done anywhere, certain states make the practice much better than others," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo stated in the report.
Top Performers and Key Findings
Utah claimed the top spot overall, ranking first for living environment (which includes the largest average home size in the US at 2,459 square feet) and ninth for work environment. The state benefited from low electricity costs, modest internet costs, and the third-highest share of households with broadband internet.
Delaware and Connecticut followed closely. Delaware has the potential for 97% of its workforce to work remotely, while Connecticut has the cheapest internet prices in the country. Maryland and Massachusetts also featured in the top five, with Massachusetts having the most households with internet access in the US.
Other notable states include Washington, which ranked highly for remote work participation but 48th for cybersecurity, and North Carolina, where the town of Cary reportedly had the third-highest percentage of remote workers nationally at 31%.
The Bottom of the List
The study found the least favourable conditions for remote work in Alaska, Montana, and West Virginia, which occupied the bottom three positions. A primary factor was these states having the highest internet costs in the United States.
Enduring Shift to Remote Work
The report underscores a lasting shift in work patterns. Data from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute illustrates this trend, showing the percentage of remote workers in that state more than doubled from 7.3% in 2019 to 16% in 2024. Similarly, a 2025 survey in the Greater Boston area found 85% of businesses utilised hybrid models.
As remote and hybrid work models solidify, the geographic disparities in infrastructure, costs, and living conditions highlighted by the WalletHub study are likely to influence both individual relocation decisions and corporate policy.