Working remotely in North Dakota: We’re number 48

A recent WalletHub study reveals the best and worst states to work from home. Where does North Dakota fall in the rankings? Well, not great. Out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, North Dakota lands near the bottom at 48. Read on to learn more about what factors the study considered in giving the state such a low rating and what employers should take away from the survey in our growing virtual work environment.

12 key metrics analyzed

WalletHub examined 12 key metrics when determining which states were the best and worse for remote working, and the metrics were grouped into two different categories:

• Work environment including the share of potential telecommuters in the state, Internet accessibility, and the number of Internet crime victims; and
• Living environment covering the average cost of electricity, Internet, home size, and space.

Together, the factors aimed to show the feasibility of working from home in terms of cost, comfort, and safety.

Although North Dakota had the best (i.e., lowest) average retail price for electricity, it received the worst ranking for the number and cost of Internet crimes. The state also ranked low with respect to the share of potential telecommuters in the state, meaning fewer jobs are classified as conducive to working from home, such as executive, administrative support, or sales roles.

Taking all of the factors together, North Dakota fared less favorably than our neighboring states Minnesota (23) and South Dakota (36) but slightly better than Montana (49).