10 States With the Most Telecommuting Jobs

There’s no doubt about it: with one in five people working remotely, telecommuting is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to work in the United States. But while telecommuting is becoming more and more common in workplaces nationwide, some states favor flex more than others.

In a recent study, FlexJobs found the top states that offer telecommuting jobs, as well as the current percentage of workers telecommuting in those states. Interestingly, though, almost all of the companies who are flex-friendly also require their staffers to live (and work) in a specific area. In fact, 96.5 percent of remote jobs have a location preference, typically requiring workers to live in the same state that the company is headquartered in.

Here are the 10 states with the most telecommuting jobs:

1. California: Some of the companies recruiting for telecommuting jobs in California include Apple, Adobe Systems, and Wells Fargo have recruited telecommuters in California, and 5.2 percent of the state’s population work from home full time.
2. Texas: 4.1 percent of the state’s population work from home full time, and employers with telecommuting jobs in Texas include Dell, American Heart Association, and Ericsson.
3. New York: If you’re looking for telecommuting jobs in New York, About.com, American Express, and Nielsen have recruited there, and 4 percent of the state’s population work from home full time.
4. Florida: In the state of Florida, empoyers like Keiser University, HSN, and Carnival Cruise Lines have recruited telecommuters, and 5.1 percent of the state’s population work from home full time.
5. Illinois: 4.2 percent of Illinois’ population work from home full time. Companies like DeVry, Tribune Company, and Loyola University Health System typically have open telecommuting roles for Illinois job seekers.
6. Virginia: K12 Inc., Gannett, and Rosetta Stone have recruited telecommuters in Virginia, and 4.5 percent of the state’s population work from home full time.
7. Pennsylvania: Companies such as PNC, Penn State University, and Rodale have recruited for remote jobs in the state of Pennsylvania regularly, and 3.9 percent of professionals here work from home full time.
8. Georgia: With 4.9 percent of the state’s population work from home full time, Georgia job seeker will find telecommuting jobs from employers like American Cancer Society, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Coca Cola.
9. New Jersey: Johnson & Johnson, Le Cordon Bleu Schools, and Merck have recruited telecommuters in New Jersey, and 4 percent of the state’s professional workforce works from home full time.
10. Arizona: Arizona has a telecommuting workforce of 5.5 percent, and companies like the Phoenix Zoo, U-Haul, and Apollo Group have recruited remote workers here before.

How to Find a Telecommuting Job in Your State

If you’re in the market for finding a telecommuting job, here are some tips:

Use niche job boards.

When you’re looking to find a remote job, not any old job board will do. After all, you need to use resources that are specific to your job search. So instead of using generic job search sites to find your next job, you should use niche job boards, which cater specifically to telecommuting-friendly positions. SmartRecruiters has a great list of the 50 Best Niche Job Boards to help you find the right ones for your job search.

Find flex-friendly companies.

In order to be strategic in your job search, you can target companies that you know to be flex-friendly. How to find them? You can check out the company’s website to see if you can uncover any info about its work flexibility policies. You can even do a little more digging and see if it promotes any of its work-from-home programs on its social media channels. If that doesn’t uncover anything, it’s perfectly acceptable to reach out to the company directly to find out.

Be proactive.

Let’s say you have your heart set on working for one specific company, but you haven’t seen it post any flexible job positions. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, though. You can try calling the HR department to inquire if the company is looking for remote workers in your area of expertise. Even if it’s not, you can always submit your resume and cover letter anyway. You never know; a position might open up in the future that you’re perfect for—and your job application will be at the top of the list.

This article was written by Brie Reynolds from Business2Community and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. SmartRecruiters is the hiring success platform to find and hire great people.