# The remote-work move — Paths

> Upwork estimated 14–23 million Americans planned to relocate once remote work became ordinary. One worker who moved from Falls Church, Virginia to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania saved $1,100 a month: same job, same pay, different rent.

Canonical: https://paths.significanthobbies.com/luck/pandemic-remote-work-migration/

[Luck directory](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/luck/)

Event luck 2020–2022 Timing

# The remote-work move

Same salary, cheaper ZIP code, a door that opened in March 2020.

**$1,100/mo** one worker's extra savings after leaving the DC area

## What they did

People in software, consulting, writing, and finance already had jobs that could move. That depends on field and employer.

## What they did not choose

The pandemic made keeping a big-city salary while leaving a big-city rent possible almost overnight. The option did not exist in January 2020 for most of those workers, and it never arrived for hospitality, retail, or healthcare. One writer saved $550 a month on rent and $460 on commuting and lunches. NPR reported that a third of people who moved to Vermont said they were likely to stay.

## Figures

- 14–23 million Americans planned to relocate because of telework (Upwork survey, October 2020, via NPR).

- One worker saved $1,100 a month moving from Falls Church, VA to New Wilmington, PA (Ready to Roth).

- A third of movers to Vermont said they were likely or very likely to stay (University of Vermont survey, NPR).

- 2020 movers ended in ZIP codes with home values about $27,000 lower, on average (Zillow, AP).

## Limit

Having a movable job depends on field and training. The sudden permission to keep the salary while changing the rent was a timing event. The door opened for some roles and not others, in a month nobody scheduled.

## Sources

- [NPR — Now that more Americans can work anywhere, many plan to move](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/10/30/929667563/now-that-more-americans-can-work-from-anywhere-many-are-planning-to-move-away)

- [Ready to Roth — Geoarbitrage, by accident](https://www.readytoroth.com/geoarbitrage-and-how-i-accidentally-did-it/)

- [AP News — Many Americans moved to cheaper housing markets in 2020](https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-67fdcc71ce55d9222e6c1daf32392180)

[Buying a house in 2009](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/luck/2008-housing-crash-buyers/)
[The H-1B visa lottery](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/luck/h1b-visa-lottery/)