CHICAGO — Working from home became a trend during the pandemic and could soon be a permanent fixture for many workers, especially here in Illinois.
A new LendingTree study finds the Land of Lincoln ranks third in the country for having the largest increase of people working from home over the past year.
In 2022, 33.1 % of Illinoisans worked from home, compared to 26.7% in 2021, which is an increase of 24%.
Only Rhode Island and South Dakota had bigger year-over-year work from home increases, while Wyoming, Arkansas and West Virginia saw the biggest work from home decreases.
Researchers say 40.5% of Americans aged 25 to 39 worked from home over the past year, a 4.4% increase over 2021 and the highest rate among age groups. Experts attribute the increase to workers being at the age that is often just starting a family and needing more flexibility for them.
The age group that saw the biggest work from home rate drop is 18 to 24 year olds. That number fell 12.6% and experts believe it may be due to workers in this group still being in college, working entry-level jobs or just being unwilling to compromise on their first job.
Nationally, the rate for remote workers has remained stable, dipping a mere 1.2% between October 2022 and October 2021.
The study also looked at race, education, age and household income as factors on working remotely and you can see those results below.
A recent Pew Research Center study also found that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done remotely would prefer to work from home.
States with the biggest increases in remote workers:
- 1. Rhode Island
- 2. South Dakota
- 3. Illinois
- 4. North Carolina
- 5. Texas
- 6. Georgia
- 7. Oregon
- 8. Idaho
- 9. Tennessee
- 10. Maryland
States with the biggest decreases in remote workers:
- 1. Wyoming
- 2. Arkansas
- 3. West Virginia
- 4. Iowa
- 5. Kentucky
- 6. Alabama
- 7. South Carolina
- 8. Missouri
- 9. Delaware
- 10. Nevada
