Cary, North Carolina, has secured the No. 2 spot among the best US cities for remote workers in 2024, according to a recent report by CoworkingCafe. The study assessed nearly 200 cities across various metrics crucial to remote work, including internet connectivity, coworking spaces, and overall affordability.
Cary’s ranking was influenced by the city’s substantial remote work culture: 41% of its workforce operates remotely, the highest percentage among the cities evaluated. Cary also boasts an ultra-low unemployment rate of 1.6%, which also elevated its ranking.
Two additional notches in Cary’s favor at its comprehensive broadband coverage and the city’s proximity to two airports, Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Piedmont Triad International Airport.
The report also highlighted that cities like Cary are becoming increasingly attractive due to their investment in infrastructure that supports remote work. For instance, Cary offers a plethora of coworking spaces like Industrious and Regus, which cater to the flexible needs of modern professionals.
Cary fell just behind Atlanta, which came in at No. 1., in the rankings. Seattle rounded out the top three, followed by Frisco, Texas; Bellevue, Washington; Scottsdale, Arizona; Arlington, Virginia; Denver, Colorado; Alexandria, Virginia; and Carlsbad, California.
According to Pew Research, as of 2023 approximately 35% of US workers who have jobs that can be done remotely are working from home, exclusively. Additionally, 41% have adopted a hybrid schedule, working from home on some days and commuting to the office on others. Those figures are a sizeable jump from pre-pandemic levels: From 2009 to 2019, the percentage of full-time remote workers in the United States grew modestly from 4% to 6%.
In 2023, 60% of remote workers expressed a preference for continuing to work remotely, marking a 3% increase from the previous year.
A report from Resume Builder found that 90% of companies plan to require their employees to return to the office by the end of 2024, but a majority of workers will be in a hybrid schedule.