States Where the Most Workers Are Headed Back to the Office

American corporate culture was already adapting to a growing trend toward telecommuting when the COVID-19 crisis made the United States a work-from-home country. Conventional wisdom is that the movement is here to stay, that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks in most cases and that employers are now too heavily invested in telecommuting to go back. In needing people to work remotely, the crisis made the home office a reality for millions who didn't know it was possible before, and in many cases, the 20th-century office model was rendered obsolete.

Read More: The Best and Worst Things About Working From Home

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, GOBankingRates identified 19 states where that trend is moving in the other direction now. These are the places where the switch appears temporary as fewer people are working from home and more people are heading back to the office. The study shows the percentage of adults working in telecommuting households and how that percentage changed from the end of the summer through the end of the fall. For reference, the same data for the country as a whole is included at the end. Take a look at where people are headed back to offices.

Last updated: Jan. 4, 2021

Oregon

• Total population (18+): 3,302,727
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 36.9%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 36.8%
• Change in telework: -0.1%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 6.9%

Find Out: 100 Ways To Work Better From Home

New York

• Total population (18+): 14,847,080
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 41.6%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 41.4%
• Change in telework: -0.2%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 9.6%

See: Companies That Let You Work From Anywhere

Kansas

• Total population (18+): 2,140,957
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 36.0%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 35.7%
• Change in telework: -0.3%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 5.3%

Be Prepared: How To Protect Yourself When You Return to Your Office

California

• Total population (18+): 29,939,021
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 39.7%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 39.4%
• Change in telework: -0.3%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 9.3%

If You're Looking: How To Interview For a Job When You’re Wearing a Mask

Missouri

• Total population (18+): 4,617,880
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 32.7%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 32.2%
• Change in telework: -0.5%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 4.6%

Read: 36 Million Americans to Work From Home by 2025 -- Invest In These 7 Stocks Now

New Mexico

• Total population (18+): 1,589,574
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 33.0%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 32.4%
• Change in telework: -0.6%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 8.1%

Be Careful: 6 Career Mistakes To Avoid During an Economic Downturn

New Hampshire

• Total population (18+): 1,073,014
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 40.8%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 40.1%
• Change in telework: -0.7%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 4.2%

What's Changed: Post-COVID Office Etiquette You Need To Know

Washington

• Total population (18+): 5,890,357
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 42.0%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 41.2%
• Change in telework: -0.8%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 6.0%

Options: Highest-Paying Work-From-Home Jobs

Hawaii

• Total population (18+): 1,073,229
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 37.0%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 36.2%
• Change in telework: -0.8%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 14.3%

Helpful Tips: How To Interview For a Job Over Zoom

Georgia

• Total population (18+): 7,955,983
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 37.8%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 36.9%
• Change in telework: -0.9%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 4.5%

The Future: Should Employers Require Workers To Take Time Off?

Delaware

• Total population (18+): 754,637
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 35.4%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 34.5%
• Change in telework: -0.9%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 5.6%

Read More: Here's What Offices Will Look Like in a Post-Pandemic World

Rhode Island

• Total population (18+): 817,559
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 40.9%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 39.5%
• Change in telework: -1.4%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 7.0%

Good To Know: 45 Jobs That Can Make You a Millionaire Before Retirement

Texas

• Total population (18+): 21,356,906
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 35.6%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 34.2%
• Change in telework: -1.4%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 6.9%

Find Out: When These 21 Major Companies Are Heading Back to the Office

Maine

• Total population (18+): 1,065,620
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 36.2%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 34.8%
• Change in telework: -1.4%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 5.4%

Options: High-Paying Jobs at Apple, Facebook and Google That Don’t Require a Degree

Nevada

• Total population (18+): 2,399,457
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 29.8%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 27.2%
• Change in telework: -2.6%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 12.0%

The 10 Most Common Jobs in America: And How They're Holding Up During the Pandemic

South Dakota

• Total population (18+): 642,658
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 29.7%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 27.0%
• Change in telework: -2.7%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 3.6%

Be Aware: 15 Signs Your Employer Wants You To Retire

Minnesota

• Total population (18+): 4,241,624
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 44.2%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 41.0%
• Change in telework: -3.2%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 4.6%

What's Changed: Cash and 21 Other Everyday Things Wiped Out by COVID-19

Michigan

• Total population (18+): 7,644,458
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 38.4%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 33.5%
• Change in telework: -4.9%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 5.5%

Should You Ask For a Raise During the Pandemic? Here's What 10 Experts Say

United States

• Total population (18+): 249,170,916
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Aug. 19-31): 36.30%
• Percent of adults in a teleworking household (Nov. 11-23): 36.9%
• Change in telework: 0.6%
• Oct. 2020 unemployment rate: 6.9%

More From GOBankingRates

• 19 Effective Ways To Tackle Your Budget
• Are You Spending More Than the Average American on 25 Everyday Items?
• 30 Important Money Habits for Your Financial Future
• Guns and 32 Other Things You Definitely Do NOT Need To Buy During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Methodology: To identify the states where people are headed back to the office, GOBankingRates analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 Household Pulse Survey on the percentage of adults living in households where at least one adult has substituted some or all of their in-person work for telework because of the coronavirus pandemic. GOBankingRates first identified (1) the percentage of adults who reported teleworking in their household in the period Aug. 19 through Aug. 31, 2020, and (2) in the period Nov. 11 through Nov. 23, 2020. GOBankingRates then calculated (3) the percentage point change in adults who reported teleworking in their household between the two periods. GOBankingRates found that while teleworking has steadily grown in most states, it decreased between August and November in 19 states and decreased by more than one percentage point in eight. GOBankingRates provided the total adult (18+) population in each state from the Household Pulse Survey and the October 2020 unemployment rate in each state from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as supplemental data. All data was collected on and up to date as of Dec. 15, 2020.

About the Author

Andrew Lisa

Andrew Lisa has been writing professionally since 2001. An award-winning writer, Andrew was formerly one of the youngest nationally distributed columnists for the largest newspaper syndicate in the country, the Gannett News Service. He worked as the business section editor for amNewYork, the most widely distributed newspaper in Manhattan, and worked as a copy editor for TheStreet.com, a financial publication in the heart of Wall Street's investment community in New York City.

Read More