<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><a href="https://www.collegecareerlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/best-states-work-from-home.jpg"><img src="https://www.collegecareerlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/best-states-work-from-home-683x1024.jpg" class="wp-image-122278"/></a></figure></div>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><em>Photo by ;<strong>Zen Chung</strong> ;from ;<strong><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-white-shirt-sitting-on-chair-near-window-5749085/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&;utm_medium=referral&;utm_source=pexels" class="broken_link">Pexels</a></strong></em></p>



<p>Over the past year, more workers began telecommuting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And many of those workers may continue to work from home after the pandemic is over. Prior to the pandemic, only ;<a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/12/09/how-the-coronavirus-outbreak-has-and-hasnt-changed-the-way-americans-work/">20%</a> ;of all employed people whose jobs could be done from home worked from home all or most of the time. That number has risen to 71%, with 54% saying they want to continue working from home after the pandemic ends. In order to work at home, one not only needs a supportive employer, but a <a href="https://www.collegecareerlife.net/5-products-for-a-better-home-office/">comfortable home work environment</a> and reliable, affordable infrastructure. A recent <a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801">study by WalletHub</a> revealed the best and worst states for working from home. Read on for the list of best (and worst) states for telecommuters.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The 10 Best States for Working from Home</strong></h2>



<p>The following states received the highest overall scores in the WalletHub study.</p>



<p><strong>1. Delaware</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 65.51</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 4</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 22</p>



<p><strong>2. North Carolina</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 63.91</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 8</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 12</p>



<p><strong>3. Georgia</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 63.11</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 20</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 1</p>



<p><strong>4. New Hampshire</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.98</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 7</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 44</p>



<p><strong>5. Tennessee</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.69</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 12</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 3</p>



<p><strong>6. Arizona</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.65</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 6</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 24</p>



<p><strong>7. New Jersey</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.57</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 21</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 17</p>



<p><strong>8. Texas</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.11</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 17</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 2</p>



<p><strong>9. Utah</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 62.09</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 2</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 29</p>



<p><strong>10. Oregon</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 60.98</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 10</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 30</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The 10 Worst States for Working from Home</strong></h2>



<p>The following states received the lowest overall scores in the WalletHub study</p>



<p><strong>42. West Virginia</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 53.60</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 37</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 34</p>



<p><strong>43. Iowa</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 53.49</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 38</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 46</p>



<p><strong>44. New Mexico</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 52.74</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 41</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 38</p>



<p><strong>45. Wyoming</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 52.71</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 40</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 37</p>



<p><strong>46. Montana</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 51.76</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 46</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 25</p>



<p><strong>47. Arkansas</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 50.41</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 47</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 18</p>



<p><strong>48. Mississippi</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 50.00</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 48</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 7</p>



<p><strong>49. North Dakota</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 49.61</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 51</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 14</p>



<p><strong>50. Hawaii</strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 45.70</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 45</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 51</p>



<p><strong>51. Alaska </strong></p>



<p>Total Score: 37.73</p>



<p>Work Environment Rank*: 50</p>



<p>Living Environment Rank**: 49</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong>Key Stats</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Colorado has the highest ;<strong>share of the labor force working from home</strong>, 8.30 percent, which is 3.5 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at 2.40 percent.<br /> ;</li><li>New Hampshire has the highest ;<strong>share of households with a broadband internet subscription,</strong> ;79.30 percent, which is 1.7 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at 47.60 percent.<br /> ;</li><li>Connecticut has the highest ;<strong>share of households with access to broadband speeds over 25 Mbps,</strong> ;98.70 percent, which is 1.5 times higher than in Mississippi, the state with the lowest at 65.40 percent.<br /> ;</li><li>South Dakota has the fewest ;<strong>cybercrime victims per 100,000 residents,</strong> ;54.33, which is four times fewer than in Nevada, the state with the most at 214.68.<br /> ;</li><li>Indiana has the lowest ;<strong>amount lost per victim as a result of internet crime,</strong> ;$2,466, which is 11.5 times lower than in Ohio, the state with the highest at $28,394.<br /> ;</li><li>Oklahoma has the lowest ;<strong>residential retail price of electricity,</strong> ;8.88 cents per kWh, which is 3.3 times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest at 29.14 cents per kWh. ;</li></ul>



<p><strong>* Work Environment &#8211; 60 points</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Share of Workers Working from Home (pre-COVID-19): Triple Weight (~25.71 Points)</li><li>Share of Potential Telecommuters: Double Weight (~17.14 Points)<br />Note: Potential telecommuters are considered to be those in occupations classified as conducive to telecommuting: executive, administrative, managerial; professional specialty; technicians and related; sales; and administrative support.</li><li>Households’ Internet Access: Full Weight (~8.57 Points)<br />Note: This composite metric measures both the share of households with a broadband subscription and the share of households with access to broadband speeds greater than 25 Mbps.</li><li>Cybersecurity: Full Weight (~8.57 Points)<br />Note: This composite metric measures the number of internet crime victims per capita, the average amount lost as a result of internet crime and the cybersecurity risk index.</li></ul>



<p><strong>** Living Environment &#8211; 40 Points</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Average Retail Price of Electricity: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)</li><li>Access to Low-priced Internet Plan: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)<br />Note: This metrics refers to low-priced broadband plans and it is a composite metric that includes:<ul><li>Cable</li><li>DSL</li><li>Fiber</li></ul></li><li>Internet Cost: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)<br />Note: This metrics refers to the price per MBPS and it is a composite metric that includes:<ul><li>Cable</li><li>DSL</li><li>Fiber</li></ul></li><li>Median Square Footage per Average Number of Persons in a Household: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)</li><li>Share of Detached Housing Units: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)</li><li>Average Home Square Footage: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)</li><li>Share of for Sale Homes with Lot Greater than 1,000 Square Feet: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)</li><li>Share of for Sale Homes with Swimming Pool: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)</li></ul>



<p>To view the full report and your state’s rank visit <a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801</a></p>