More than 20% of U.S. residents say they're more likely to move now that the 2024 election is over, and some cities are offering cold hard cash to lure newcomers. are.
The rise in remote work during the pandemic has allowed employees to work remotely from their company's headquarters. Cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Columbus, Georgia, are offering incentives worth thousands of dollars to attract these workers.
Other initiatives, like Kansas' “Choose Topeka” program, are available to workers relocating to the area, even if they are not working remotely.
Here are some places that will pay for your moving expenses.
Home price and rent numbers are from Zillow. Population estimates are based on U.S. Census data.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma skyline at sunrise. (Photo credit: Jumping Rocks/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
population: Approximately 411,000
Typical house price: $202,495 (October 2024)
Median rent: $1,395 (December 2024)
Incentive: of tulsa remote The program offers $10,000 grants to remote workers who move to the city. To be eligible, you must have remote, full-time employment outside of Oklahoma and have lived out of state for at least one year prior to applying. Once approved, you must relocate to Tulsa within 12 months.
learn more here.
columbus, georgia
Credit: Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce
population: Approximately 200,000
Typical house price: $163,916 (October 2024)
Median rent: $995 (December 2024)
Incentive: Full-time remote workers relocating to Columbus can receive $5,000 in cash for relocation costs. of Transition to Columbus Program It is available to those who earn at least $75,000 from a single source of income and live at least 75 miles outside the city at the time of application.
To be eligible to receive the full incentive, applicants must complete their move to Muscogee County, Georgia within six months of receiving the offer.
Applications for this program are expected to reopen in January 2025.
Shoals, Alabama
Alabama Music Hall of Fame Tuscumbia USA. (Photo by Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
population: Approximately 155,000 people in metropolitan areas
Typical house price: $246,673 at Muscle Shoals (October 2024)
Median rent: $1,400 at Muscle Shoals (December 2024)
Incentive: Remote workers making more than $52,000 a year can receive up to $10,000 for relocating to the Shoals metropolitan area in northwest Alabama. of remote shoals The program is open to full-time remote workers who move to the region within six months of being selected.
The next round of applications will open on March 1, 2025.
The Shoals region includes Colbert and Lauderdale counties and has four major cities: Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia.
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas, Kansas State Capitol. (Photo by Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
population: Approximately 125,000
Typical house price: $186,706 (October 2024)
Median rent: $950 (December 2024)
Incentive: New residents can receive up to $15,000 as part of the grant. Please select Topeka program. The initiative will give frontline workers up to $10,000 to rent in the area and up to $15,000 to buy a home. Transitional military personnel and former residents returning to the city are also eligible to receive $5,000.
To qualify, workers must rent or purchase a home as their primary residence within one year of moving to Shawnee County.
town in west virginia
A panoramic drone shot of WVU's downtown campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, with the river visible in the distance.
Typical house price: $268,416 in Morgantown, West Virginia (October 2024)
Median rent: $1,200 in Morgantown, West Virginia (December 2024)
Incentive: of Ascend West Virginia The program pays full-time remote workers $12,000 in relocation costs. 5 different communities Beyond the Mountain States.
To receive the full incentive, applicants must reside in West Virginia for at least two consecutive years. Those hired are expected to relocate within six months.
