Cities and states are offering cash to remote workers who relocate

Following the rise of remote work, some US cities and states are shelling out cash and other incentives to attract new residents.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, is offering $10,000 to remote workers who relocate there. West Virginia is offering $12,000 and two years of free outdoor equipment rental. Buy a house in Southwest Michigan and the state could help with $15,000.

However, experts caution that the programs often come with strict strings attached, saying anyone who wants to take advantage should carefully read the fine print before placing bets and moving on a whim.

Many of the relocation programs require applicants to already hold a job remotely for a company based elsewhere, and sometimes the incentives are tied to purchasing a home in the area.

For cities, the goal is to stimulate economic growth by attracting new, high-income, qualified residents to spend money and pay local taxes.

And for workers, the right relocation program could provide an added push to consider moving from expensive coastal cities to the more affordable outskirts of states like Kansas or Iowa.

Regional and state relocation programs

Alaska it has what might be considered the original relocation program: an annual cash dividend for all residents who have lived in the state for more than a year.

The state’s Permanent Dividend Fund was established in 1979 and payments vary each year based on revenue from oil drilling. Last year’s payment of $3,284 per resident was a record.

In AlabamaThe northwestern part of the state known as the Shoals region offers full-time remote workers a $10,000 cash incentive to relocate.

Applicants for the remote shoals program You must earn plus a salary of at least $52,000 and live for one year in one of the qualifying cities: Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia.

West Virginia offers a statewide incentive program, offering $12,000 and free rental of outdoor equipment and co-working space for remote workers relocating to the Mountain State.

To qualify for all benefits through move up to west virginiaApplicants must bring a remote job with them and live in the state for at least two years.

In an attempt to attract remote workers from Chicago, Michigan offers up to $15,000 toward a new home and $5,000 in additional ‘benefits’ for remote workers who purchase a home in the southwestern part of the state.

Applicants for the Moving to Michigan Program must have fully remote employment and move out of state.

To qualify for all benefits, you must purchase a home worth at least $200,000 in Southwest Michigan and enroll the children in public schools for two years.

arkansas also has a regional relocation program for the northwestern part of the state, including the cities of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville.

He life works here The program offers $10,000 to new Arkansas residents, who must be employed full-time and at least 24 years old.

Vermont has a statewide relocation program, Think Vermontwhich offers up to $7,500 to people who take a new job in the state or bring remote work with them.

However, the Vermont program currently finds that it has more applicants than funds, a problem common to many relocation programs.

Cities with cash incentives for relocation

tulsa, oklahoma began trying to entice remote workers to move to the city in 2019, through a program called Tulsa Remote which offered a $10,000 grant, housing assistance, office space and more.

When the pandemic hit, there was a “huge increase in applications,” managing director Justin Harlan told Reuters last year.

From 60 people in 2019, the program brought in 350 the following year, then 950 in 2021, he said, about half of them tech workers and many from San Francisco and New York.

Harlan has said that Tulsa Remote accepted only 3% of its 30,000 applicants in 2021, indicating how difficult it can be to see payouts for such programs.

Topeka, Kansas it has one of the richest programs in the country.

He Choose Topeka The program offers up to $15,000 in cash to new residents who take a full-time job and buy a home in the area, or $10,000 for those who rent.

For remote workers, the cash incentive is reduced to $10,000 for homebuyers and $5,000 for renters.

newton iowa is offering a $10,000 cash incentive to new residents who purchase a home valued at $190,000 or more through the Newton Housing Initiative.