AUSTIN (KXAN) — Working remotely is a relatively new concept as technology continues to advance and the world continues to adapt after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even with an increase in “return to work orders,” some of the largest cities across the U.S. still have a large percentage of employees working out of the office.
Financial technology company SmartAsset ranked 349 of the largest U.S. cities based on the percentage of workers working from home, as well as the average commute times for those not working from home.
“Freeing up time and potentially budget for some, remote work may also give more freedom to remote workers to spend their time and money in ways they prefer rather than on commutes,” the study found.
After examining the data, SmartAsset found that more than one-third of workers were remote in Frisco, Texas.
“Frisco has the highest portion of remote workers nationwide at 34.16%, for just over 40,000 people working remotely,” the study said. “Virtually all of the remaining commuters drive or carpool to work, with a mean commute time of 30 minutes.”
According to the study, more than 25% of the workforce is remote in 22 U.S. cities. One of the cities listed was Austin, Texas, with 28.13% of the workforce completing job requirements away from the office.
While Frisco was No. 1 in Texas and the U.S., one Texas city was ranked last on the list of the 349 cities examined.
SmartAsset found that only 1.58% of workers in Odessa, Texas, were remote. The study showed the city had the proportionally smallest remote workforce of large U.S. cities with only 1,036 workers estimated to be remote out of a workforce of over 65,000.
Top 10 Texas cities with the most remote workers
No. 1 – Frisco, Texas (No. 1 in US of 349)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 34.16%
- Number of remote workers: 40,029
- Number of people age 16 and over in the workforce: 117,193
- Percent of workers driving to work: 57.16%
- Percent of workers carpooling to work: 6.39%
- Percent of workers commuting via public transit: 0.01%
- Percent of workers walking to work: 0.89%
- Percent of workers commuting via other means: 1.39%
- Mean commute time: 30 minutes
No. 2 – Austin, Texas (No. 11 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 28.13%
- Number of remote workers: 166,315
- Number of people age 16 and over in the workforce: 591,180
- Percent of workers driving to work: 59.12%
- Percent of workers carpooling to work: 6.47%
- Percent of workers commuting via public transit: 1.61%
- Percent of workers walking to work: 2.19%
- Percent of workers commuting via other means: 2.48%
- Mean commute time: 23.2 minutes
No. 3 – McKinney, Texas (No. 27 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 24.23%
- Number of remote workers: 26,601
- Mean commute time: 25.8 minutes
No. 4 – Plano, Texas (No. 28 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 24.08%
- Number of remote workers: 37,785
- Mean commute time: 26.1 minutes
No. 5 – Richardson, Texas (No. 32 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 23.83%
- Number of remote workers: 15,559
- Mean commute time: 23.5 minutes
No. 6 – Sugar Land, Texas (No. 46 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 22.39%
- Number of remote workers: 12,073
- Mean commute time: 29.4 minutes
No. 7 – Round Rock, Texas (No. 50 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 21.37%
- Number of remote workers: 15,449
- Mean commute time: 25.7 minutes
No. 8 – Allen, Texas (No. 52 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 21.22%
- Number of remote workers: 12,495
- Mean commute time: 30.3 minutes
No. 9 – New Braunfels, Texas (No. 57 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 20.87%
- Number of remote workers: 12,518
- Mean commute time: 26.5 minutes
No. 10 – The Woodlands, Texas (No. 67 in US)
- Remote workers as a percent of all workers: 19.44%
- Number of remote workers: 10,442
- Mean commute time: 28.6 minutes