Census ACS 5-Year · 51 states
States With Highest Work From Home Rates
The remote work revolution has fundamentally reshaped where and how Americans work. Colorado, Washington, and Oregon lead the nation in work-from-home rates, driven by their strong technology sectors, educated workforces, and progressive employer cultures. The shift to remote work accelerated dramatically during the pandemic and has remained elevated, with roughly 15-20% of the workforce now working primarily from home. This trend has profound implications for housing markets (workers moving to cheaper areas), commercial real estate (declining office demand), transportation infrastructure (less commuter traffic), and state tax policy (workers living in different states than their employers). States with high WFH rates tend to have higher educational attainment, larger shares of knowledge-economy jobs, and better broadband infrastructure. The remote work trend is reshaping domestic migration patterns as workers realize they can earn big-city salaries while living in smaller, more affordable communities.
Key Findings
- 1District of Columbia leads with a work from home rate of 29.4%, followed by Colorado (18.8%) and Washington (17.7%).
- 2The gap between #1 District of Columbia and #51 Mississippi (5.3%) is 24.1 percentage points.
- 3The national median across all states is 12.0% (Michigan at the midpoint).
- 4The top 10 states are: District of Columbia, Colorado, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Massachusetts, Arizona, Virginia, Utah, Minnesota.
Full Ranking: States With Highest Work From Home Rates
Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates
| # | State | WFH Rate | Drive Alone | Avg Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 8.5% | 0.9% | 18.5 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 11.6% | 1.2% | 22.2 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 8.0% | 0.6% | 26.6 |
| 4 | Washington | 17.7% | 4.0% | 27 |
| 5 | Virginia | 16.2% | 2.6% | 27.6 |
| 6 | Vermont | 15.0% | 0.9% | 23.4 |
| 7 | Utah | 16.0% | 1.7% | 22 |
| 8 | Texas | 12.8% | 1.0% | 26.7 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 11.4% | 0.5% | 25.7 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 9.3% | 0.5% | 17.6 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 10.0% | 0.4% | 25.6 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 11.4% | 1.9% | 25.5 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 13.8% | 3.9% | 26.6 |
| 14 | Oregon | 17.0% | 2.6% | 23.2 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 8.5% | 0.3% | 22.4 |
| 16 | Ohio | 11.5% | 1.1% | 23.6 |
| 17 | North Dakota | 7.3% | 0.4% | 18 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 14.5% | 0.7% | 25.1 |
| 19 | New York | 13.3% | 22.4% | 32.8 |
| 20 | New Mexico | 11.0% | 0.7% | 23.2 |
| 21 | New Jersey | 15.0% | 8.5% | 30.9 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | 15.1% | 0.6% | 26.8 |
| 23 | Nevada | 10.5% | 2.4% | 24.8 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 10.0% | 0.5% | 19.1 |
| 25 | Montana | 11.6% | 0.6% | 19.2 |
| 26 | Missouri | 11.6% | 0.9% | 23.7 |
| 27 | Mississippi | 5.3% | 0.3% | 25.6 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 15.8% | 2.1% | 23.1 |
| 29 | Michigan | 12.0% | 1.0% | 24.4 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | 16.7% | 7.0% | 29.3 |
| 31 | Maryland | 17.2% | 4.9% | 31.5 |
| 32 | Maine | 14.1% | 0.5% | 24.4 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 7.2% | 0.9% | 25.8 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 9.1% | 0.7% | 24 |
| 35 | Kansas | 10.7% | 0.4% | 19.8 |
| 36 | Iowa | 10.4% | 0.7% | 19.8 |
| 37 | Indiana | 9.6% | 0.7% | 24 |
| 38 | Illinois | 14.0% | 6.4% | 28.1 |
| 39 | Idaho | 12.2% | 0.6% | 21.6 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 8.8% | 4.1% | 26.4 |
| 41 | Georgia | 14.2% | 1.3% | 28.3 |
| 42 | Florida | 13.9% | 1.2% | 28 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | 29.4% | 22.3% | 30.3 |
| 44 | Delaware | 13.3% | 1.8% | 26.1 |
| 45 | Connecticut | 14.4% | 3.4% | 26.6 |
| 46 | Colorado | 18.8% | 1.9% | 25.5 |
| 47 | California | 15.5% | 3.2% | 29 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 7.8% | 0.3% | 22.3 |
| 49 | Arizona | 16.5% | 1.2% | 25.5 |
| 50 | Alaska | 8.8% | 1.0% | 19.5 |
| 51 | Alabama | 7.8% | 0.3% | 25.4 |
Methodology
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
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Frequently Asked Questions
District of Columbia has the highest work from home rate at 29.4%, according to latest Census ACS data. Colorado and Washington round out the top three.
Mississippi has the lowest work from home rate at 5.3%. Louisiana is second-lowest at 7.2%.
The median across all 51 states is 12.0%. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently, the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.
Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS 5-Year estimates. The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.