AUSTIN, Texas — Austin continues to attract workers, especially remote workers, with a new study finding that the area saw the largest increase of any U.S. metro in remote workers. 

What You Need To Know

  • An analysis published by The New York Times’ The Upshot found that Austin experienced the most growth in remote workers moving into the area. It gained more remote workers than any other U.S. city during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • The Upshot looked at data from the American Community Survey the year right before the pandemic and during the pandemic to see migration data for America’s metros

  • According to the New York Times, Austin added a net 28,000 remote workers and about 32% of people who moved into the city worked remotely

  • Dallas saw a 10,000 net increase in remote workers, with 26% of people who moved to the area working remotely, but the city saw a drastic decline in the amount of in-person workers moving there

An analysis published by The New York Times’ The Upshot–a section of the paper that uses data to analyze everyday life–found that Austin experienced more growth in remote workers than any other U.S. city during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Upshot looked at data from the American Community Survey the year right before the pandemic and during the pandemic to see migration data for America’s metros. 

While many California cities—including San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles—experienced a huge swing in remote workers moving out of their metros, Austin and Dallas saw a net increase in remote migration. 

According to the New York Times, Austin added a net 28,000 remote workers and about 32% of people who moved into the city worked remotely. The next closest city was Denver, with a net increase of 23,000 remote workers. 

The Upshot also found that Austin had a net increase of 34,000 in-person workers during the pandemic, which was up from the pre-pandemic time that saw a 31,000 net increase. 

The Upshot’s analysis found that one of the main reasons Austin saw such an increase in remote workers was because there were more remote-friendly jobs available. 

Austin has long been a hub for the technology industry. According to the U.S. News & World Report, the top employers in Austin are Apple and IBM, and the city ranks as the ninth-best place to live in the U.S.

Dallas saw a 10,000 net increase in remote workers, with 26% of people who moved to the area working remotely, but the city saw a drastic decline in the amount of in-person workers moving there. 

From 2018 to 2019, Dallas had a net increase of 55,000 in-person workers moving to the city, but from 2020 to 2021, the city only saw a net increase of 4,000 in-person workers. 

But Dallas has also been a part of a recent phenomenon spurred by the pandemic: people moving to exurbs—communities on the outer margins of metro areas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Anna, Texas—45 miles north of Dallas—was the fourth-fastest growing city in the U.S. last year.