Who Is the Typical Remote Worker in America’s Southern Region? Insights into Demographics, Income, Education & More

Photo of Maria Zidaru Maria Zidaru
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Remote work has reshaped employee expectations by making flexibility and autonomy essential in career decisions. In response, companies are adjusting their policies to support remote work while maintaining productivity. This shift highlights the importance of understanding remote work dynamics to promote both efficiency and a healthy work/life balance.

Previously, we explored the national profile of the average remote worker. Additionally, we took a regional approach to gain more precise insights and a deeper understanding of the evolving workforce. For more details, check out the Western and Northeastern profiles.

In this article, we present the distinct traits of remote workers in the Southern United States. Details on the methodology are at the end of the article.

Geographical Distribution, Gender Balance & Generational Diversity in the South: Austin, TX, & Raleigh, NC, Take Lead with Highest Percentage of Remote Workers

The Southern remote workforce reaches close to 14%, which is similar to the Northeast and the national average. This may be due to the South’s booming startup sector, which offers remote opportunities in sectors like software development, digital marketing and entrepreneurship.

Select a metro area from the drop-down list for a detailed local profile.

Percentage Distribution of Remote Workers

While the average share of remote workers in the South is almost 14%, certain metropolitan areas show higher percentages. For instance, in Austin, TX and Raleigh, NC, remote workers make up close to 25% of the workforce.

However, the distribution is uneven across the region with metros like Baton Rouge, LA, Jackson, MS and Fayetteville, NC having about 8% of remote workers. Even so, remote work across the South may be driven by greater flexibility and the desire for cost savings.

Gender Distribution of Remote Workers

In the South, women now make up almost 53% of the remote workforce, reflecting the growing representation of female professionals in flexible work environments.

Notably, Orlando, FL, and Nashville, TN emerge as the most gender-balanced cities, each featuring a 50% split between male and female remote workers and showing an inclusive workforce. Meanwhile, North Port, FL boasts the highest percentage of male remote workers at nearly 55%, while Fayetteville, NC leads in female representation at 65%.

Generational Distribution of Remote Workers

Millennials make up more than 38% of remote workers in the South, second only to the West. In Texas metros — like McAllen, El Paso and Austin — nearly half of the teleworking population belongs to this generation (46% or more). This underscores the key role that younger workers play in shaping remote work trends across these metros.

Similarly, around 35% of the region’s remote workers are Gen Xers, mirroring similar rates in the Midwest. In particular, Winston-Salem, NC registers nearly 42% of Gen Xers, while Birmingham, AL has slightly more than 40%. The South also ties with the West in Baby Boomers, who account for about 18% of the teleworker pool here. That said, Cape Coral, FL stands out with roughly 30% of its remote workforce representing this generation.

Notably, the remote workforces of Pensacola, FL (around 19%) and Fayetteville, NC (at more than 18%) excel with the percentage of Generation Z, while North Port, FL has the largest population of Silent Generation (people born between 1928 and 1945) of teleworkers at nearly 4%.

Education Level of America’s Southern Remote Workforce: 6 Metros Have 70%+ Highly Educated Remote Workers

The majority of remote workers in the South hold a higher education degree, similar to the other U.S. regions: Over 58% of teleworkers have a bachelor’s degree, while the second-largest group (just above 25%) has some college or an associate’s degree. It’s worth noting here that the South has the highest proportion of remote workers with a high school diploma — more than 13%. The rate remains at just more than 3% for those without a high school diploma.

At the metro level, Washington, D.C. leads with more than 77% of remote workers holding a BA degree or higher. Raleigh, NC and Huntsville, AL follow closely at 72%.

In Pensacola, FL, 44% of teleworkers have a college degree, while El Paso, TX has about 22% of its remote workforce with a high school diploma. Conversely, McAllen, TX holds the largest percentage of teleworkers with less than a high school diploma at close to 27%.

Remote Work & Higher Earnings: Remote Workers in Washington, D.C. Earn $100,000+ Per Year

In the South, the median income of remote workers is $65,000. What’s more, nearly half of remote workers report high incomes with almost 45% earning $75,000 or more annually. Specifically, more than 12% of teleworkers in the region earn between $50,000 and $64,999 and a similar percentage fall between $35,000 and $49,999. In a trend consistent with the West, fewer than 7% of remote workers earn less than $10,000, although part-time employees may contribute to these lower earnings.

At the metro level, Washington, D.C. leads in the share of remote workers with high annual earnings ($75,000+), thereby raising the median income within this group to $100,000. Not to be outdone, the median income surpasses the $80,000 mark in Austin, TX, Raleigh, NC and Baltimore, MD as well. In fact, more than 56% of remote workers in these three metros earn more than $75,000.

Conversely, El Paso and McAllen in Texas are the only metros in the South where the median annual income for remote workers falls below $40,000 ($39,500 and $35,000, respectively).

Remote Work Revolution, From Office Jobs to Manufacturing: Industries Embrace Versatility in Southern U.S. Workforce

While remote work has expanded across various industries, professional and business sectors still dominate in the South, employing nearly 29% of teleworkers. In this case, Raleigh, NC has the largest share of local remote workers in these services at 40%. However, Washington, D.C. and Austin, TX follow closely with nearly 38% and 36%, respectively.

Next, the education/health care category is the second-most common industry with more than 15% of remote workers in the region. Almost 25% of workers in Winston-Salem, NC are employed in these industries. Likewise, Pensacola and Port St. Lucie, FL are close behind with almost 24% and 22%, respectively.

Then, the finance industry ranks third for remote workers in the South with Jacksonville, FL leading with nearly one-quarter of teleworkers in this market. The South also presents close to 7% of remote workers in retail. For instance, a little more than 12% of remote workers in Fayetteville, AR are in this sector.

Finally, the South leads the U.S. in remote positions in the construction and transportation sectors with more than 4% in each. In Cape Coral, FL, almost 12% work remotely in construction, whereas Memphis, TN has almost 10% in transportation.

Methodology

For the purposes of this article, we used data from the following public sources:

U.S. Census Bureau:

For the local breakdown, we included metros with populations of at least 500,000 and with available data on both IPUMS USA and Census Bureau.

IPUMS USA: Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rogers and Megan Schouweiler. IPUMS USA: Version 14.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V14.0

  • Generational breakdown of remote workers (the generations were defined based on Pew Research Center classification) in 2022
  • Distribution of remote workers by education level in 2022
  • Yearly median income attributed to remote workers in 2022 inflation-adjusted dollars
  • The MSAs were defined by 2023 OMB delineations
  • U.S. Census Bureau is the source of the underlying data.
Photo of Maria Zidaru Maria Zidaru
Photo of Maria Zidaru

Maria Zidaru

Maria Zidaru is a creative writer at CoworkingCafe and CoworkingMag, with degrees in Literature and Marketing. Her background in both accounting and publishing provides a diverse perspective to her writings. From arts to chess and real estate, Maria is enthusiastic about engaging in subjects that provide value to her readers.
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