Springfield, Missouri, was listed as the number one place to live for remote workers by the Wall Street Journal in a national report.
The Queen City topped the list of primarily Midwestern locales, based on analysis by Wall Street Journal reporters. The team first collected data using survey firm Ipsos about what remote workers value, and then weighted those factors to come up with a list of metro areas that fit the bill.
Attributes of high value to these workers included low cost of living, proximity to an airport and high-speed internet, among others.
For remote workers whose companies are based around the world, Springfield is an affordable and flexible place to live, while offering certain amenities of more expensive metropolitan areas.
Last month, the Daily Citizen looked into the prevalence — and the future — of remote work in Springfield. While there are limited data on how many remote workers are in Springfield, it has nonetheless become a permanent fixture of some industries for both small and large businesses.
Roughly 13 percent of working Americans are fully remote, according to the WSJ.
In the Daily Citizen’s in-depth report, Vicki Pratt, the senior vice president of economic development of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said that employees, especially those of younger generations, preferred remote work models because it allowed them to create a better work-life balance. Less time commuting — and putting less prioritization on a job over other aspects of one’s life — allows more time to be spent on hobbies, being with family and traveling.
As more and more employees seek out a better work-life balance, some of the WSJ’s findings — that workers value nearby parks and art venues, restaurant scenes and larger homes — could further reinforce Springfield as an ideal place to live for remote workers.
Springfield was joined by two other Missouri metros in the WSJ’s top ten places for remote workers: Joplin (#2) and St. Louis (#8). Other nearby locales included Kansas City, Ks. (#7), Conway, Ar. (#4) and Wichita (#9).
The data from WSJ, compiled between January and November of 2022, looked at several weighted metrics when ranking Springfield as #1:
- 100 percent of households have access to 100 MBPS internet
- Average home price of $308,841
- 94th percentile of lower cost of living
- Average house size of 1,850 square feet
- $32.80 a month for high-speed broadband
- 2.15 percent unemployment rate
- 64th percentile in proximity to airport
- 87th percentile for restaurants per household
- 65th percentile for art venues per household
- 68.8 percent of households within half a mile of a park
