Relocation offers on the rise as cities try big cash incentives to attract remote workers

(Aging Untold) — Remote work opportunities continue to thrive years after the COVID-19 pandemic made working from home mainstream.

Now some communities across the U.S. are competing to attract new residents who are fully employed but can live anywhere, offering increasingly large cash incentives to lure remote workers.

Cumberland, Maryland launched “Choose Cumberland,” a pilot program offering $20,000 to up to 10 people who agree to move to the city.

The Appalachian Mountains community, located about 130 miles outside Washington D.C., saw its population decline from over 40,000 to less than 19,000 after several manufacturing companies and other large employers closed their doors starting in the 1970s.

“At one time, the population of Cumberland was over 40,000 people,” said Mayor Ray Morriss.

Program details and requirements

The Cumberland incentive splits the money into two payments:

• $10,000 in relocation cash
• $10,000 for a down payment or approved home renovations

Recipients must make Cumberland their primary residence for at least five years.

“The people we are trying to entice are the people who are bringing their jobs with them,” Morriss said.

Tulsa leads the way

The website Make My Move lists more than 100 places advertising cash offers to attract potential new residents.

One of the largest programs is Tulsa Remote in Oklahoma, which started before the pandemic and pays remote workers $10,000 to move to Tulsa and rent or buy a home.

“We started the program really as an experiment to try to diversify the labor workforce here in Tulsa, which is often reliant on oil and gas,” said Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote.

The program has grown from about 70 participants in 2019 to more than 3,500.

Tulsa Remote only requires a one-year residency but says it maintains a 90% retention rate beyond that requirement, with 75% of participants since 2019 still living in Tulsa.

“We work hard to meet with each individual in their first 90 days, understand what it is they’re wanting to get out of their commitment in Tulsa and really plug them in,” Harlan said.

Success stories and research

Faith Langevin moved from Atlanta to Tulsa in 2022, attracted by the lower cost of living and $10,000 incentive. Her husband is also a remote worker and also got paid to move there.

“I was looking for a place to move, looking for a lower cost of living, and that $10,000 -- there was that financial incentive and then what made it stand out was the social component,” Langevin said. “Absolutely not!” she said when asked about regrets three years later. “This is really home!”

Evan Starr, an associate professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Business, saw a need for more research around the idea of cities competing to attract remote workers.

“We wanted to study an early mover in that market to see what we can learn, that maybe other localities could benefit from,” Starr explained.

In studying the Tulsa Remote program, he found the program’s retention rate to be significant.

“You don’t want people only coming to your area for the money. They might come and just take the incentives and then as soon as any restrictions are up, then they might leave,” Starr said.

Starr believes remote work is here to stay.

“My sense is that it is here to stay. And so it’s really opened up this new level of geographic mobility. You’re not tied to where your employer is,” he said.

In Cumberland, longtime resident Gino Giatras, whose family has operated a hot dog shop since 1918, said he welcomes new neighbors.

“The reason I love it is because of the people, the weather, the actvities,” Giatras said.

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