Colorado is top U.S. state for most remote workers – survey

MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES — Colorado has the highest percentage of remote workers in the United States with 37.3% working from home at least one day per week, according to a new report by SelectSoftware Reviews.
The analysis shows Colorado (37.3%) topping the list, followed by Maryland (37%), Massachusetts (36.4%), Utah (36%), and Washington (34.8%).
“States that are more well known for IT, finance, analytics, those kinds of occupations, we’re likely to see a higher proportion of remote work,” said Ravi Gajendran, a business professor at Florida International University.
“Colorado has a lot of software. Utah is emerging as an IP knowledge-based industry ecosystem… and Virginia, New Jersey, all those areas have heavily knowledge-based work.”
The report also highlights a gap between rural and urban areas. While states like California, home to Silicon Valley, have an overall remote work rate of 29.9%, the number is likely much higher in major cities like San Francisco and closer to 60-70%.
On the other hand, Mississippi has the lowest percentage of remote workers, at just 11.9%.
“As we evolve in a post-pandemic world, telework is also being more widely adopted by other types of workers who are not high tech, and also by more administrative or clerical workers,” said Timothy Golden, professor of management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
“Remote and hybrid work is now recognized and accepted as an effective work mode that offers advantages to both employers and employees.”