Special Report

Best Cities To Live and Work From Home in 2021

filadendron / E+ via Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our perceptions of work and home. Because of lockdowns and other restrictions, tens of millions of people have been working at home for the last 16 months. Their homes have become their offices and they have been seeing more of their families and pets than they have of their colleagues and friends. (These are the states where the most people are working from home.)

This shift has its upsides. People no longer have to commute to offices, whether that means long drives or subway or bus rides. They no longer have to wear suits and ties. In fact, if they don’t have a Zoom meeting, they can spend the day in their pajamas. 

It also has its downsides. They’re stuck at home, and that can be frustrating, especially if home is a small apartment in a big city. Some places are more hospitable to full-time home office work than others, due to a number of factors. (In general, this is the best city to live in every state.)

24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the best cities for work-from-home value, using a ranking formulated by LawnStarter, a lawn care start-up that frequently conducts research into city and state amenities. The ranking covers the country’s 120 biggest housing markets, and is based on 20 weighted metrics, including measures of average home and yard size, cost and availability of sale and rental properties, and the availability of incentives offered to incoming remote workers by some cities, counties, and states. (Population numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey one-year estimates.)

The best city of all for work-from-home value is Rochester, New York. It ranks No. 1 for buyer friendliness and has numerous other advantages. It was one of the country’s first boomtowns and was home to such familiar names as Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak, and Xerox. It was hurt by deindustrialization, but that’s what makes it attractive today — it combines good infrastructure with affordability. 

Click here to see the best cities to live and work from home in 2021.

Other good cities for home workers include Shreveport, Louisiana; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Vancouver, Washington — reflecting the list’s geographic diversity. There are good work-from-home cities all over the country.

IntergalacticDesignStudio / E+ via Getty Images

50. Vancouver, Washington
> Lawnstarter score: 49.66
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#21 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 180,556

[in-text-ad]

dangarneau / iStock via Getty Images

49. Des Moines, Iowa
> Lawnstarter score: 49.77
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#23 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 215,636

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

48. Raleigh, North Carolina
> Lawnstarter score: 49.79
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#16 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 464,485

Gary Fink / iStock via Getty Images

47. Plano, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 50.02
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#3 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 287,064

[in-text-ad-2]

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

46. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Lawnstarter score: 50.15
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#18 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 1,579,075

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

44. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
> Lawnstarter score: 50.28
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#4 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 244,115

[in-text-ad]

Rcolborn / Wikimedia Commons

44. Garland, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 50.28
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#5 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 238,418

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

43. Durham, North Carolina
> Lawnstarter score: 50.29
> Top metric: Space (#15 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 269,702

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

42. Omaha, Nebraska
> Lawnstarter score: 50.54
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#16 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 475,862

[in-text-ad-2]

CHBD / Getty Images

41. Tampa, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 50.81
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#12 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 387,916

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

40. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Lawnstarter score: 51.08
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#17 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 594,548

[in-text-ad]

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

39. Lincoln, Nebraska
> Lawnstarter score: 51.13
> Top metric: Space (#20 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 283,839

Hollie Davenport / iStock via Getty Images

38. Chesapeake, Virginia
> Lawnstarter score: 51.14
> Top metric: Space (#11 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 239,982

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

37. Richmond, Virginia
> Lawnstarter score: 51.43
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#11 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 226,622

[in-text-ad-2]

Davel5957 / Getty Images

36. Louisville, Kentucky
> Lawnstarter score: 51.53
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#23 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 617,790

TraceRouda / Getty Images

35. Jacksonville, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 51.54
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#19 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 890,467

[in-text-ad]

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

34. Greensboro, North Carolina
> Lawnstarter score: 51.60
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#8 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 291,303

aphotostory / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

33. Arlington, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 51.68
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#13 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 395,477

4kodiak / E+ via Getty Images

32. Dallas, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 51.79
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#9 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 1,330,612

[in-text-ad-2]

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

31. Newark, New Jersey
> Lawnstarter score: 52.07
> Top metric: Space (#10 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 281,054

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

30. Atlanta, Georgia
> Lawnstarter score: 52.50
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#24 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 488,800

[in-text-ad]

pawel.gaul / E+ via Getty Images

29. Detroit, Michigan
> Lawnstarter score: 52.51
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#10 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 674,841

PapaBear / Getty Images

28. Cleveland, Ohio
> Lawnstarter score: 52.67
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#10 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 385,282

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images

27. Newport News, Virginia
> Lawnstarter score: 52.73
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#18 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 179,673

[in-text-ad-2]

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

26. Yonkers, New York
> Lawnstarter score: 52.97
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#6 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 199,968

Rut Mehta / iStock via Getty Images

25. San Antonio, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 53.12
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#20 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 1,508,083

[in-text-ad]

red7255 / iStock via Getty Images

24. Huntsville, Alabama
> Lawnstarter score: 53.17
> Top metric: Space (#9 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 196,219

Gary Fink / iStock via Getty Images

23. Frisco, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 53.20
> Top metric: Space (#1 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 177,020

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

22. Birmingham, Alabama
> Lawnstarter score: 53.44
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#7 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 212,297

[in-text-ad-2]

dhughes9 / iStock via Getty Images

21. McKinney, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 53.52
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#1 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 182,055

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

20. El Paso, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 53.99
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#6 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 679,813

[in-text-ad]

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

19. Tallahassee, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 54.10
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#6 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 191,279

Nclauzing / Getty Images

18. Memphis, Tennessee
> Lawnstarter score: 54.14
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#12 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 651,932

Davel5957 / Getty Images

17. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Lawnstarter score: 54.17
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#15 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 643,692

[in-text-ad-2]

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

16. Baltimore, Maryland
> Lawnstarter score: 54.21
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#16 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 609,032

espiegle / iStock via Getty Images

15. Miami, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 54.50
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#2 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 454,279

[in-text-ad]

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images

14. Knoxville, Tennessee
> Lawnstarter score: 54.51
> Top metric: Space (#13 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 186,173

Barbara Smyers / iStock via Getty Images

13. Fort Worth, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 54.68
> Top metric: WFH-Friendliness (#8 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 874,401

TriggerPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

12. Overland Park, Kansas
> Lawnstarter score: 54.71
> Top metric: Space (#3 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 191,011

[in-text-ad-2]

GabrielPevide / E+ via Getty Images

11. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 54.87
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#7 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 180,124

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

10. Houston, Texas
> Lawnstarter score: 55.83
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#13 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 2,310,432

[in-text-ad]

f11photo / Getty Images

9. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Lawnstarter score: 56.84
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#9 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 634,773

HaizhanZheng / E+ via Getty Images

8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
> Lawnstarter score: 57.04
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#4 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 302,205

Davel5957 / Getty Images

7. Little Rock, Arkansas
> Lawnstarter score: 57.05
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#1 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 197,958

[in-text-ad-2]

graphiknation / Getty Images

6. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
> Lawnstarter score: 57.95
> Top metric: Space (#2 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 224,149

dszc / Getty Images

5. Orlando, Florida
> Lawnstarter score: 57.97
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#3 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 280,832

[in-text-ad]

Sean Pavone / Getty Images

4. Shreveport, Louisiana
> Lawnstarter score: 60.81
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#2 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 192,035

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

3. Cincinnati, Ohio
> Lawnstarter score: 61.03
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#5 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 301,394

Davel5957 / Getty Images

2. Tulsa, Oklahoma
> Lawnstarter score: 61.59
> Top metric: Renter-Friendliness (#5 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 402,324

[in-text-ad-2]

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

1. Rochester, New York
> Lawnstarter score: 64.15
> Top metric: Buyer-Friendliness (#1 out of 120 cities)
> Total population: 206,848

Find a Qualified Financial Advisor (Sponsor)

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.