Cities and States Offering Relocation Incentives

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November 15, 2021

Cities and States Offering Relocation Incentives

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Now that the Pandemic has shown us that working from home really can be effective for companies, many cities and states are offering up incentives – mostly in the form of cash bonuses – if you pick up and relocate and work from home in what is many times a cheaper destination to live. It’s a double benefit for workers looking to save money on the costs of living.

Here are cities and states paying you to move.

Bemidji, Minnesota

Never heard of this small town in Minnesota? 218 Relocate wants to change that. Offering up to $2,500 to pay your moving costs and providing free coworking in its downtown (a value of $1,500), digital nomads can benefit from the lakefront town’s Community Concierge Program that helps small businesses get established and grow. With just 14,000 residents, you can quickly become a fixture here.

Hamilton, Ohio

Are you a STEAM grad who finished school within the last seven years? Hamilton’s Talent Attraction Program (TAP) Scholarship is a reverse scholarship that will pay up to $10,000 on your student loan debt if you move to the community. Just 20 miles north of Cincinnati, you’ll find various things to do and see by becoming an employee and resident.

Lincoln, Kansas

Remember learning in history books about the incentive to get people to move out west: Free land? Still happening in Lincoln, Kansas! Where the buffalo still roam in a town of just 3,500 (but only 45 minutes from city life), you can get a free home site ranging from 14,000 to 35,000 square feet in a completed subdivision. How’s that for incentive?

Mankato, Kansas

Not to be outdone, this central Kansas town is offering free building sites, as well. You’ll have to have a lender preapproval and a contract with a contractor to start constructing a three or more bedroom house with six months to receive the free land.

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Natchez, Mississippi

While not as high an incentive to move to the town bordering the Mighty Mississippi River, Natchez keeps giving monthly. The Shift South program will pay remote workers up to $2,500 in relocation reimbursement and give you $300 per month for an entire year. You’ll have to buy a home valued at at least $150,000 to qualify.

Newton, Iowa

Another Midwestern town that is small in size but big on the welcome is Newton. New home buyers can get up to $10,000 in cash, as well as another $3,000 in a welcome package. You’ll have to purchase a house valued at $190,000 or more in the Get to Know Newton program, but it’s a reasonable down payment to get you settled.

Northwest Arkansas

Discover the beauty of Arkansas as a remote or self-employed worker with the Northwest Arkansas Council Talent Incentive. As long as you are 24 and up, they’ll give you $10,000 and your choice of a street or mountain bike to explore your new surroundings. The state lands on our list of Best Places to Live on Less Than $100k a Year, averaging $38,513, so you can really save with this incentive.

The Shoals, Alabama

Discover how sweet home in Alabama can be with $10,000 cash incentives if you move to the northwest area known as The Shoals. You can be a remote worker, but you have to earn a minimum of $52,000 a year to be eligible in the Remote Shoals program.

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Topeka, Kansas

One of the best incentive offerings for relocating comes from this Midwestern city that will pay you up to $15,000 if you take a job with a Topeka and Shawnee County employer. Choose Topeka will pay you if you take a full-time job and purchase a home or rent in the area. But if that’s not your jam, they’ll happily give you $5,000 to relocate and work outside of the state.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Not only did Tulsa make the list of Cheapest Places to Live in the United States (No. 12), Oklahoma’s second-largest city is offering grants to remote workers up to $10,000. Through Tulsa Remote, receive a lump sum paying toward the down payment if you move to the city in the next 12 months. (If you’d rather rent, they’ll give you $5,000.) They’ll even provide desk space at a coworking office downtown, and you can save big with the city’s average monthly rent at $898. Plus, Jimmy John’s will give you another $1,000 if you move into one of its delivery zones!

Vermont

The New England state renowned for its fall foliage and ski slopes wants to grow so much that its Remote Worker Grant will pay those willing to relocate $10,000 over two years just for discovering the great state. You need to accept a job with a Vermont employer to qualify, so this isn’t for digital nomads. However, the program provides a list of companies hiring and will help you secure employment so you can relocate.

West Virginia

The mountains of West Virginia are calling at the tune of $12,000. Ascend West Virginia’s program is good for remote workers who move to the state. Not only will you receive $10,000 cash in your first year, you’ll get a $2,000 bonus in your second year, two years of free outdoor gear rentals to enjoy the area (value of $2,500), a free coworking space, professional development help, and even social events to help you meet other locals.

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Lissa Poirot is Joy Wallet’s Head of Content and an award-winning journalist and editor with a focus on finance, travel and health. Her work has appeared online and in print, and she has often been cited as a source on both. She currently resides in Pennsylvania.

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