Small towns are paying remote workers to move in

When Penelope Gomez arrived at her new home in Lincoln Center, Kansas, a crew of a dozen townspeople was there to meet her. "There were men and women and children all there to help me unload the moving truck," Gomez recalls. "It was unbelievable!"

The pleasant surprise was just another step in Gomez's journey from Atlanta's metro to a new home in rural Lincoln County, Kansas. Around the country, people just like her are carving out new lives in one of 27 largely rural states and towns across the U.S. that offer incentives to relocate there.

In fact, this new take on local economic development is allowing rural states, counties, and towns to engage in a growth strategy that was traditionally closed to them. In the past, states would use their labor force, proximity to higher education centers, and all manner of incentives ranging from real estate deals, to multiyear tax breaks and utility discounts, to persuade companies to locate their headquarters and manufacturing facilities there. Frequently, those became "boom/bust" towns where the area's communities and economies were precariously contingent on a single employer.

"You know how it is with company towns," said Danny Twilley, Ph.D., assistant vice president of economic, community, and asset development for West Virginia University, in an interview with The Daily Yonder.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic drove many workers out of corporate offices and into remote roles that they were loath to abandon after their bosses called them back to the office.

In 2020 and 2021, rural states like West Virginia, counties like Lincoln County, Kansas, and towns such as Mattoon, Illinois, began to embrace a new kind of economic development that capitalized on the remote worker phenomenon. They hoped to entice people who were able to work from anywhere to live in rural areas where homes were more affordable, the commute was nonexistent, and the community was close-knit and friendly.

According to Twilley, the trick is to find what makes each community unique. In West Virginia, emphasizing the state's natural attributes to attract those seeking an outdoor lifestyle is the way to go.

"West Virginia has been at the bottom of the list when it comes to maintaining population … In fact, according to the 2020 census, we lost 12% of our population from 1950 to 2020," he said. "And in order to build a factory, you have to have a lot of flat buildable land – we don't have that in West Virginia – it's mountainous, so the outdoor connection is a good fit."

As a result, the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative Ascend Program offers remote workers who qualify a $12,000 financial relocation incentive, a free outdoor recreation package including outdoor equipment rentals, and remote work certifications and academic programs for entrepreneurs through West Virginia University. 

Since the program began in 2021, 226 people have relocated to West Virginia via the Ascend Program. Of that group, 141 are members of families, including seven babies born to relocating families resulting in 367 new West Virginians, according to Twilley. So-called "Ascenders" hail from 38 states and five foreign countries, and work for a wide range of companies including Capital One, Ziprecuiter, the Mayo Clinic and NASA. "By all counts, it seems to be working," Twilley said.

Similar programs are in place in Lincoln County, Kansas, and Mattoon, Illinois, where small town living and social connections are taking residents away from big cities.

According to Alexander Benishek, Community Development and Planning Director for the city of Mattoon, 14 people – including remote workers and their young families – have moved into Mattoon, Illinois, since the Move to Mattoon Program began in 2022. Under the program remote workers who earn $45,000 or more a year and currently live more than 100 miles away from the town may qualify for a more than $11,000 relocation package including $5,000 cash to help cover moving expenses, $500 in local restaurant vouchers, free storage for six months, a one-year membership for co-working space, a $100 gift card to a local appliance and home center, and a $200 gift card to a meat market.

Above and beyond these benefits, young families especially are drawn to the town because of its affordability. According to Benishek, the median value of a three-bedroom, two-bath home is just $89,959. Also, commutes are shorter, quality healthcare is accessible, and outdoor attractions are nearby.

Another thing that's important to young families is education. According to Benishek, parents of school age children are eager to escape big city school systems where their kids can be overlooked in overcrowded classrooms. "People are also concerned about the quality of education where their child is going to get individualized attention and is not going to be a number," he said.

Making connections in a new environment

With a population of just 3,000, Lincoln County, Kansas, is also appealing to prospective newcomers who want to be a member of a community and not just a demographic. Via its Make My Move program, the self described "very rural" community offers remote workers who earn at least $50,000 and who agree to stay in the county for one year, a $4,500 cash incentive to help defray the cost of moving. Other assorted perks include a $500 voucher for high speed internet service.

"That's important because people have to have high-speed internet in order to do their jobs," says Kelly Gourley of the Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation.

The last thing to sweeten Lincoln County's deal is one dozen fresh eggs every month for a year, and a potluck welcome event for newcomers. "We are an agricultural area after all, and it takes a special kind of person to move from a metro area to a really rural area like ours," said Gourley. "It's also why we do everything we can to make this a welcoming community where people want to settle down."

Since 2022, four remote workers have moved to Lincoln County including two families and two single people. One of those is Gomez, who relocated from the Atlanta area and was greeted by neighbors who helped her move in. She is working as a staff accountant for a medical services firm. 

Some of these new residents are renting, some are contemplating buying a home, but all are pumping fresh revenue into the community's tax base, its local businesses, and its recreational economy.

"Economically it has to make sense and honestly, we get that initial $5,000 [incentive package investment] back the first year," Gourley says.

But whatever the incentives, not everyone who wants to relocate to a rural area actually makes the move. Mattoon, Illinois, was ready to welcome a retired executive from Boeing, but ultimately he decided not to make the move. "He wanted to do some work on the side, but the housing part of the program didn't work for him," Alexander Benishek says.

Likewise, according to Gourley, some people go through the application process in Lincoln County, Kansas, and even visit, but just can't make it work. "We have had people apply for the program and not relocate because they couldn't find the housing they wanted or didn't relocate because of their own life considerations," Gourley said. "But we have never had anyone move here and say 'Boy, that was a mistake.'"

For Gomez the move was the right one, not just in terms of dollars and cents, but for lifestyle benefits too. "I can walk to the bank and the grocery store and have lunch all in 30 minutes," she says. "I don't know if this will be my forever home, but I'm happy to be here – this was the right move for me."

This story was produced by The Daily Yonder and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.