The Best Work-From-Home Cities for 2022

Working from home for good? These US and Canadian cities offer an ideal mix of affordability, livability, and connectivity.

- By Sascha Segan & Kim Key. Illustration by Bob Al-Greene

The work-from-home revolution continues. According to a late-2021 Gallup poll, 25% of Americans still work exclusively from home. While that’s down from its COVID-era peak, it’s far more than the 5.7% the Census reported in 2019. And as the geography of work across the US and Canada is changing, the geography of life can change as well.

We’ve seen that here at PCMag, where we’ve become a remote-first organization and watched our staffshift to where they’re more comfortable. Our US editors now log in from Atlanta, Boulder, Pittsburgh, and Portland, among other cities that are far-flung from our offices in New York City. In Canada, our formerly Montreal-based operation now has a significant Ontario component.

This second edition of Best Work-From-Home Cities incorporates suggestions from our own remote staff and new data partners with details like which cities now offer incentives for remote workers. We feature returning winners like Chattanooga (#4, last year #1) and Philadelphia (#5, up from #11) as well as new choices like Murfreesboro, TN (#6) and Huntsville, AL (#7). (See our full 2021 list.)

WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL WFH LOCATION?

The number-one requirement for a good work-from-home location is fast, reliable Internet access, according to Gitlab Head of Remote Darren Murph. For us, that means fiber. Working from home means you’re (hopefully) contributing as much as you’re receiving. It’s a two-way experience, including video calls and file uploads. Fiber is more symmetrical than cable, and it doesn’t come with data caps.