With 42% of the American labor force now working from home full-time, this creates an opportunity for people to escape to remote landscapes for a safe change of pace. A new ranking from Allconnect, a US broadband marketplace, evaluated every state in the US to determine which states have accessible wilderness along with access to a great internet connection.
The ranking, featuring Florida Washington and Massachusetts as the top three states, can be accessed here.
So what?
This is yet another signal showing how the pandemic’s reshaping of the workspace for many people is driving a surge in movement away from the cities. Historically, ‘best place to live’ rankings used to be based on things such as access to culture, speedy commute, top schools, shops. With many of these elements no longer available in the mix, at least temporarily, other things, such as access to wilderness have become more valuable and sought after. What are the long-term implications for population distribution? Will big cities, particularly in the western hemisphere, continue to see declining popularity?
Read next: COVID-19 drives a surge in movement away from cities
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