The basics:

• New Jersey ranked No. 6 in WalletHub’s 2026 remote work study
• Remote, hybrid work remain widespread post-pandemic
• State previously ranked No. 1 for remote work (2022)
• Rankings evaluate work environment, living conditions

It’s no secret the pandemic changed the definition of “the workplace.” Lockdowns forced many companies to reimagine their offices, allowing employees to work remotely.

Now, six years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic – and nearly three years after WHO announced an end to the threat – businesses are re-evaluating their spaces once again.

With many major companies such as Amazon, Dell, Goldman Sachs and more calling employees back to the office full time, others have adopted remote or hybrid policies.

In 2019 – before the pandemic – 6.5% of workers in the private business sector worked primarily from home, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Now, 12% of full-time employees work fully remote, according to personal finance website WalletHub. An additional 27% follow a hybrid schedule, working from home and the office. Those findings correlate with surveys from Robert Half.

Additionally, Forbes noted 98% of workers surveyed want the option to work remotely at least some of the time.

Best places to set up shop

However, not all states’ infrastructure is ideal for remote work.

To help those employees who can set up their office anywhere, WalletHub released its Best States for Working from Home list for 2026. New Jersey landed at No. 6 in the nation on the ranking, unveiled April 6.

While still near the top of the list, the Garden State’s placement has slipped steadily in the past few years. In 2022, New Jersey was the No. 1 location in the nation for remote work. By 2023, the state fell to No. 5.

The top states for remote work, according to WalletHub, are:

• No. 1: Utah
• No. 2: Delaware
• No. 3: Connecticut

The bottom three:

• No.  49: West Virginia
• No. 50: Montana
• No. 51: Alaska

Source: WalletHub

How states were evaluated

To determine the findings, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two dimensions: work environment and living environment. Researchers evaluated those areas using 12 metrics.

A WalletHub representative shared with NJBIZ a closer look at New Jersey’s results:

Work environment

• No. 4: Households’ internet access
• No. 10: Cybersecurity
• No. 11: Share of potential telecommuters
• No. 13: Share of employees working from home

Living environment

• No. 1: Share of for-sale homes with swimming pool
• No. 2: Access to wired low-priced internet plan
• No. 8: Internet cost
• No. 38: Average retail price of electricity
• No. 45: Average home square footage
• No. 46: Median square footage per average number of persons in a household
• No. 47: Share of detached housing units
• No. 49: Share of for-sale homes with lot greater than 1,000 square feet

Pros and cons

WalletHub asked several experts to analyze the partial shift to remote work.

The panel noted benefits of remote work, including flexibility, increased productivity and reduced commute time for employees. For companies, they noted worker appreciation and commitment as well as being able to dip into a broader talent pool.

When asked about the downside of working remotely for employees, the experts cited social isolation, difficulty detaching from work and improper workspace setups, among other factors. For employers, they cited cybersecurity, less direct control and “sorting out which employees have the right attitude, discipline, and work ethic to work remotely,” among other reasons.

“Working from home, or working mobile, is here to stay – contrary to the wishes of some,” Raymond Keating, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, said in the report.

Lynne Vincent, associate professor of management at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, noted, “There has been recent backlash from some organizations, even those that previously supported remote work. … However, other companies are finding that remote work is consistent with their goals, employees’ needs, and work requirements.”