Texas cities rank best for remote workers

Plano, Texas is the top-ranked city in the United States for remote workers to live, according to a new study from LawnStarter.

The startup company primarily focuses on making lawn care easy for people, but it also has a blog that breaks down things like pool heater and retaining wall costs, product reviews, how to live off the grid, and best cities for single moms, golfers, and, in this case, remote workers.

The pandemic forced many companies to find new ways to conduct business as offices in major metropolitan areas were shut down because of social distancing measures.

When LawnStarter conducted its study to produce 2023’s best cities for remote workers, it compared 200 of the biggest cities in the U.S. and looked at things like internet quality, access to coworking spaces, cost of living, and financial incentives for telecommuters from local and state governments.

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Neighboring cities Plano and Frisco, Texas, ranked first and second, followed by Tampa, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, and Seattle, Washington, to round out the top five overall.

Plano, according to LawnStarter, took the edge over Frisco – last year’s best overall – because it has the 10th most affordable rent, no state income tax, and the 19th highest average household income.

Sunnyvale, California ranked first out of all the cities for the highest average household income and Cleveland, Ohio took the top spot for having the lowest average household income.

Since internet is a critical element for remote workers, LawnStarter looked at fiber optic internet coverage and Detroit, Michigan tied with Jacksonville, Florida; Lexington, Kentucky; Ontario, California; Durham, North Carolina; and Joliet, Illinois, for having the most coverage.

Escondido, California, tied with Lakewood, Colorado, for having the lowest amount of fiber optic coverage.

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The city with the lowest cost of living is Brownsville, Texas, and the area with the highest cost of living is Sunnyvale, California.

The study even investigated the availability of food delivery services and coworking spaces.

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LawnStarter said eight of the top 10 cities were in the south, which is known for its "general budget-friendliness" and sprawling spaces.

California is expensive, and LawnStarter suggested looking to other areas unless your salary is "California-sized."

For a full rundown of the study, click here.