If you’re looking for a Midwest move or a Southern fresh start, dozens of states and cities across the United States are offering cash incentives, grants and other free benefits to encourage remote workers and families to relocate.
If you’re a music lover, maybe you want to move to the Shoals region of northwest Alabama. The city of Muscle Shoals, where music legends including Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones recorded, and neighboring cities Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia are offering up to $10,000 to remote workers who make at least $52,000 annually and are at least 18 years old.
If you love the outdoors, consider Ascend WV in West Virginia. The program gives eligible recipients who relocate $12,000 over two years. Other benefits include free passes for golf, rock climbing and ziplining, as well as access to fun co-working spaces if you want to get out of the house even more.
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‘Is This Real?’
Website marketplaces such as MakeMyMove.com are helping people search for these moving incentives. Launched in late 2020, the site also has staff to help communities build programs. MakeMyMove co-founder Evan Hock says there are great offers from about 200 cities from Topeka, Kansas, to Jacksonville, Illinois, and people of all ages are taking advantage of these sometimes hugely generous offers of money, free benefits and networking opportunities.
“The first question we get from people is: ‘Is this a scam? Is this real?’ It is real and it is fantastic,” Hock says. “Covid accelerated a trend that had been growing for a long time. Remote work was growing — there are about five million remote workers pre-pandemic; it’s something like 30 million today and growing. There are tens of millions of workers who can choose where they want to work.”
Take Jacksonville: The region nestled in the heart of the Prairie State is giving people who qualify for a move there $5,000 in cash, $300 in “Chamber Checks” to spend, a personal guided tour of Jacksonville schools from the superintendent, three months of broadband service, a one-year driving range pass, a steak dinner for two as well as a tooth whitening package at a local dentist. In total, the Jacksonville incentive package is an impressive $9,300.
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Where the Incentives Are
What’s in it for the cities or states? It’s all about going on the offensive and attracting new residents, especially those who will become longtime homeowners and loyal ambassadors, Hock says. Some incentives are specifically recruiting professionals such as nurses, teachers or emergency responders. As of July, MakeMyMove has 248 communities represented on its marketplace, from Yakima County, Washington, to Farmington, New Mexico, to Muskegon County, Michigan.
“It’s an opportunity to get creative and differentiate,” Hock says. “They might offer tickets to local concerts. They may offer a board seat on a local nonprofit. It’s about getting you integrated into the community. … They really are great places to live or retire.”
Advertising account executive Elio Galo successfully used MakeMyMove to relocate to South Bend, Indiana. His company wanted Galo based in the Midwest, and he chose South Bend for its proximity to Chicago and its relatively low cost of living. The home of the University of Notre Dame came in at No. 25 in the Best Places to Live annual ranking. South Bend stands out thanks to high rankings for quality of life (No. 19) and value (No. 18), with affordable housing costs relative to income.
“Overall, the process is simple and straightforward,” Galo says. “I applied through the website and was contacted by MakeMyMove to ask me some questions about why I wanted to move and what I knew about South Bend. I did some additional research on South Bend — is it LGBTQ+ friendly? Things to do? Restaurants? Music? I completed the paperwork and then within a week I was connected with a mentor from South Bend, who truly was such a big help in getting to know what neighborhoods to look for places to live in.”
States like Vermont and West Virginia were early adopters of these relocation programs, but other states such as Kansas, Indiana and Kentucky are quickly catching up with attractive incentives and participation. For example, Indiana’s statewide program just recruited its 1,000th participant, Hock says.
If you are ready to make a move, here are the top U.S. states and cities that are offering moving incentives or other grants as well as how those geographic areas rank on U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Places to Live, Best Places to Retire and Best States lists.
[READ: 20 Packing and Moving Tips and Tricks to Simplify Your Move]
States
West Virginia
People ready to make the move to West Virginia can earn $12,000 plus free outdoor recreation benefits. Applications are now open in five communities as part of its Ascend WV program. Whether you’re looking for a college-town vibe in the Morgantown area, small-town culture in the gorgeous Greenbrier Valley, historic charm in the Eastern Panhandle, mountain-town lifestyle in Greater Elkins or epic outdoor adventure in the one of the nation’s newest national parks, New River Gorge, the door is open to welcome you to the Mountain State. West Virginia also hopes to sweeten the Ascend deal with professional and entrepreneurial programs to help small business owners who move to the state. U.S. News Best States rankings place West Virginia
at No. 46, highlighting positives such as its fiscal stability, affordability and equality, and relatively low crime rates.
Vermont
From 2018 through 2022, ThinkVermont offered a grant of up to $7,500 through the state’s Worker Relocation Incentive. Applicants must become full-time residents while doing on-site work or remote jobs. While the Vermont Worker Relocation Incentive Program has received applications for more funding than is currently available, it is still accepting applications, with the understanding that funding is not guaranteed. Vermont ranks No. 7 in the Best States list, earning high marks for public safety and natural environment as well as affordability, economic opportunity and equality.
Alaska
You may have heard of the incentives to live in Alaska, mainly because its program dates back to 1976. The Permanent Fund Dividend qualifies residents for up to $1,600 annually for living in the state, up from $1,312 in 2023. Alaska has no state income tax, and qualifying for the incentive simply requires a person or family to live there for an entire calendar year. Best of all? There’s no application process for the Permanant Fund Dividend. Alaska sits at No. 45 in the Best States ranking, earning its highest marks for fiscal stability and economic opportunity.
Cities
Greater Rochester, New York
What makes the Greater ROC Relocate program a standout is it offers up to $9,000 in homeowner grants, tailored support to ensure applicants are successfully integrated into the local community and professional networking connections. To date, 32 remote workers have relocated to the nine-county region, bringing 71 total jobs to the area. To apply, you must be at least 18, be eligible to work in the United States, live at least 300 miles from Rochester and relocate within six months of acceptance. U.S. News ranks Rochester
as No. 21 in the Best Places to Retire list and No. 74 on the Best Places to Live list.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa Remote is the largest and most well-known relocation program. Launched in 2018, it has relocated 2,165 people and had a reported regional economic impact of $306.7 million as of December 2022, the latest data reported. To foster a thriving remote work community, the program offers participants $10,000 in rental grants made through monthly disbursements or a $10,000 lump sum after purchasing a qualifying home. Plus, recipients receive a 36-month free membership at a local coworking space. To apply, you must have full-time remote employment outside of Oklahoma, relocate to Tulsa within 12 months of approval and have lived outside of the state for one full year before applying.
U.S. News ranks Tulsa No. 76 in Best Places to Live and No. 122 in Best Places to Retire. It’s No. 24 on the list of the 25 Best Affordable Places to Live.
Topeka, Kansas
One of the most generous relocation packages comes from Topeka, which offers up to $10,000 for renting and up to $15,000 for purchasing a home. The fund is specifically for Shawnee County in northeast Kansas, and recipients can have a remote or on-site job to qualify. There is a three-month waiting period for the funds, and you must purchase your home or rent within a year of your hire or move. Your employer also is involved, submitting matching funds and getting reimbursed by the Choose Topeka fund.
The Shoals, Alabama
To fund a move to the Shoals area of Alabama, the state is offering $10,000 in cash, with 25% distributed up front to help with relocation costs, 25% after the first six months and the remaining 50% when recipients complete their first year there. Currently, the Remote Shoals program is on pause, but the website is still encouraging people to apply. To be considered, applicants must make $52,000 or more per year, relocate to the area within six months of being selected, and be employed as a full-time remote employee or self-employed as an independent contractor outside Colbert and Lauderdale counties.
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These U.S. Cities and States Pay You to Move There originally appeared on usnews.com
