Less expensive states attract big-city remote workers with cash grants and amenities such as university libraries

 Diners at Vera Mae’s Bistro in Muncie, Ind. (Photo by Gary Coronado, L.A. Times)

The cost of living has risen everywhere, but in states like California, some people are looking to get away from expensive living by taking "moving grants and non-cash inducements" from states that are seeking to gain well-employed, mobile workers and their families, reports Don Lee for the Los Angeles Times. He cites Indiana, where "Dozens of counties and cities are practically stepping over one another in what has become the new competition across the land: attracting the pandemic-enlarged horde of people with remote jobs who no longer feel the need to live in more expensive urban centers such as Los Angeles or New York."

Many Midwestern places have lost population to more urbanized locations, but in the wake of the pandemic, they are selling their cozier size and local offerings as strengths. "Many see opportunities to attract people looking for a quieter, cheaper and friendlier place to live," Lee reports, citing Stanford University studies that "show about 10% of all workers are fully remote, five times pre-Covid-19 levels. "Typical relocation packages include grants of around $5,000, although several areas in West Virginia, including Morgantown and Lewisburg, say they'll pay each qualified worker who moves $12,000 in cash. . . . To qualify, most places require that you move from out of state and have a remote job and a minimum income, usually around $50,000 a year. . . . Non-cash inducements run the gamut. Gym memberships, entertainment passes and access to co-working office space are common."

Poplar Bluff, Mo, pop. 16,000, "is offering passes to stay at vacation cabins to enjoy the nearby waters and mountains of the Ozarks. They're among 17 incentives valued at $11,000," Lee reports. City Manager Matt Winters told Lee, "I think we have a lot to offer. Our cost of living is low. . . . Rural America is attractive to some people. It takes me five minutes to get to work every morning, and that's if I'm not in a hurry."

In Indiana, "More than 400 people have moved to Indiana, and an additional 350 are on their way, said Christie Hurst," spokeswoman for "MakeMyMove, which is based in Indianapolis and helps cities across the U.S. recruit remote workers," Lee reports. Neaby Muncie's "package includes $5,000 in cash and passes to use Ball State University's library and fitness center. . . . Rudy Ramos, 41, of Fremont, Calif., will be moving to Muncie, taking with him a remote consulting business that helps build laboratories and medical facilities. . . . Ramos is single and has lived his entire life in California, but said he just couldn't keep up with the rising cost of living. He signed a lease for a three-bedroom house in Muncie for $950 a month. In Fremont, he had been paying three times that much for a two-bedroom place." Ramos told Lee, "Honestly, it's just way too expensive here. All I'm working for is my housing. I don't have an opportunity to reinvest in my business. . . . I love learning new knowledge. I'm going to take full advantage of that library."