Before the pandemic, about 5.9% of people in the D.C. area worked from home. Now, it leads the nation.
According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government that analyzed census data, as of early August, 51% of people in the D.C. area are still working from home at least part of the week. It surpasses New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The data also shows nationwide that most people working from home earn more than $100,000 are white and between the ages of 25 to 39. The majority are also self-employed or work in the nonprofit sector.
While 10 out of the 15 metro areas studied had high rates of telework (greater than 40%) in August 2020, nearly two years later, only Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, and D.C. still report telework rates above 40%.
Some conclusions from the data is remote work appears neither to be a catchall solution for states struggling to lure workers nor a fad for city centers to ignore.
The report states, “Policymakers should keep in mind the different demographic factors that contribute to higher rates of the desire to telework.”
