Which States are the Worst for Hybrid Workers? New Report Ranks All 50 states – it’s Bad News for Workers in Michigan

Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva

Article courtesy of OfficeRnD 

• Michigan ranks as the seventh-worst state for hybrid workers, with low hybrid-remote job opportunities and higher-than-average electricity costs.
• Delaware is the best state to be a hybrid worker, with an average electricity cost of $0.18 per kWh, an average rent of $1,524 per month, and 25.22% of the population working from home at least one day per week.
• Utah is second, with an average electricity cost of $0.13 per kWh, an average rent of $1,375 per month, and 35.72% of the population working from home at least one day per week.
• Massachusetts is the worst, with an average electricity cost of $0.30 per kWh, an average rent of $2,537 per month, and 32.34% of the population working from home at least one day per week.

A new study has revealed the best and worst states for hybrid-remote workers, with Michigan ranking seventh-worst.

Workplace management software experts, OfficeRnD analyzed 12 factors across six categories in each state: internet access and availability, hybrid-remote work opportunities, cost-of-living, housing expenditure, access to amenities, and safety and commute avoidance, to create an index revealing the best states for hybrid-remote workers.

Michigan findings:

Michigan ranks 45th in the study with an overall index score of 41.18 out of 100, compared to the national average score of 48.73. The state falls behind national figures in several measures, as only 0.48% of local jobs offer remote or hybrid arrangements compared to the 1.06% national average, and 40.8% of residents live within half a mile of a park compared to 45.35% nationwide.

Homes in Michigan are also smaller than average, with a median size of 1,726 square feet compared to the national average of 1,997.58 square feet, while electricity prices are slightly higher at $0.21 per kWh compared to the national average of $0.19 per kWh.

On the positive side, Michigan offers greater affordability in housing, with an average monthly rent of $1,157 compared to the national average of $1,465.35, and safer roads with 10.3 fatal crashes per 100,000 registered vehicles compared to the national average of 13.05.

The ten worst states for hybrid-remote workers

Massachusetts is the worst state for hybrid-remote workers, with a score of 34.78, weighted down by a high average monthly rent of $2,537, an electricity price of $0.30 per kWh, a lower remote job share of 0.60 percent, and a smaller median home size of 1,800 square feet. However, Massachusetts beats national figures with 66.6 percent of residents living near a park and a lower crash rate of 6.2 per 100,000 registered vehicles.

The top ten best states for hybrid-remote workers

Delaware is the number one state for hybrid workers, scoring 64.18/100. Out of all jobs available on Glassdoor, 2.25% of those in Delaware have remote and hybrid-remote opportunities, the fifth highest percentage in the country and 111% higher than the national average of 1.06%. On top of this, 97.77% of units in the state have access to at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.

Ivan Guberkov, Chief Product Officer at OfficeRnD said the following,

“More and more companies are embracing flexible work models not just for economic reasons but to reach more talent as people are drawn to the freedom that hybrid-remote work offers.

“Through analyzing a mix of economic and technological factors, this data shows where in the US hybrid-remote work is most viable and serves as a guide for those who value their work set up above other factors such as wages or office perks. This can help employers and employees make more informed decisions about where to live and operate based on their preferred work style.

“What stands out in the data is how stark the gap is between states. Workers in Delaware have access to more than four times as many remote or hybrid job listings per capita as those in Michigan. For employers competing for talent, these disparities matter.”

ENDS

If using these insights, please link credit to https://www.officernd.com/workplace-management-software/

Methodology

• Data was gathered for each factor from the sources listed below and used to create an index score for each state, with a higher index score indicating a better state for hybrid remote workers.
• On the inclusion of the fatal crashes data – usually a lower rate of crashes would impact positively on the index; for this index it has been interpreted differently. A high rate of fatal motor crashes can suggest the area is more car-dependent and commuter-heavy, with more risk for daily travel, so remote/hybrid working there is more advantageous by removing the need for frequent travel.

Sources

• Percentage of available jobs that are remote: Glassdoor
• Rent trends in the United States: Apartments.com
• Median home size in every state: Visualcapitalist.com
• Hourly wage required to afford a two-bedroom rental home by state: National Low Income Housing Coalition
• Electricity rates for every state in the U.S.: Energybot.com
• Personal consumption expenditures: The Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Median upload speeds in the U.S.: Speedtest.net
• Median download speeds in the U.S.: Speedtest.net
• Percentage of units with access to internet with at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speed: United States Federal Communications Commission
• Percentage of population living within 1/2 mile of a park: U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
• Percentage of population who work from home at least one day per week: United States Census Bureau
• Fatal crashes per 100k registered vehicles: Crash Data Acquisition Network & Federal Highway Administration

For detailed tables on factors and scores for every state, please get in touch.

Full rankings, with key measures