wfh life

Dallas neighbor logs on with the 2nd biggest remote workforce in U.S.

Don't forget to set that WFH alarm.

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Working from home in Dallas-Fort Worth has many advantages – especially getting to avoid the area's notoriously congested traffic. And Frisco workers are luckiest of all. According to a new SmartAsset study, Frisco has the second-most remote workers in the nation.

Nearly 40 percent of all workers in Frisco, or approximately 46,400 people, work from home, SmartAsset found.

For the Frisco employees who do have to factor daily travel to work into their schedule, the average commute time is 27.6 minutes. The city's commute time isn't too far off from the national average, the report said.

"With the most recent U.S. Census Bureau designating the average commute time to work across large cities at 25 minutes, remote workers may save four hours per week or more compared to their in-person counterparts," the report's author wrote.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been clocking in as one of the best metro areas for remote workers for a few years, which speaks volumes to the abundance of big employers that have expanded their reach into the Metroplex.

Frisco is one of several North Texas cities with a significant number of remote workers. Just under 19,000 employees (or 33.2 percent of all workers) in nearby Allen work from home, earning the city No. 11 overall in SmartAsset's report. The commute time in Allen is nearly identical to Frisco's, at 27.4 minutes.

Plano (No. 23) isn't too far behind with 29.4 percent of all employees in the city working from home, which translates to 46,616 people. A non-remote-working Plano resident's commute time 24.5 minutes, less than the national average.

McKinney (No. 49) barely skirts into the top 50 with 27,255 remote workers, or 24.5 percent of the workforce. Residents in McKinney who need to travel to work would only need to budget 26.1 minutes into their day to commute.

Dallas (No. 126) has the highest number of remote workers in North Texas, at 110,249 people, but technically falls behind nearly every other city since it only amounts to 16.4 percent of all workers. And despite the constant Dallas traffic, SmartAsset says the city's average commute time is on par with the national average, at 25.1 minutes. Take that with a grain of salt.

Fort Worth ranked even farther behind Dallas, at No. 144, with 72,190 remote workers, or 15.3 percent of the workforce. Fort Worth commuters drive an average of 26.9 minutes to work, according to the report.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth cities in the top 200 and their percentages of remote workers include:

No. 54 – Richardson (23.8 percent, or 15,007 people)
No. 65 – Carrollton (22.4 percent, or 17,184 people)
No. 105 – Lewisville (18.5 percent, or 13,700 people)
No. 106 – Irving (18.4 percent, or 24,610 people)
No. 137 – Arlington (15.5 percent, or 31,948 people)
No. 182 – Denton (13.4 percent, or 10,866 people)
No. 198 – Garland (12.8 percent, or 15,664 people)

The city with the highest percentage of remote workers in the U.S. is Cary, North Carolina; 41.4 percent of all workers in Cary work from home, or 40,900 people. Commuters in Cary also have a better-than-average commute time of 22.2 minutes.

The U.S. city with the lowest percentage of remote workers is Beaumont, Texas. Only 3.7 percent of all workers in Beaumont work remotely, which is a little more than 1,700 people. Newark's 23.1-minute commute time, however, is better than the national average.

The top 10 cities with the greatest remote workforces in the nation are:

No. 1 – Cary, North Carolina
No. 2 – Frisco, Texas
No. 3 – Bellevue, Washington
No. 4 – Berkeley, California
No. 5 – Seattle, Washington
No. 6 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 7 – Fremont, California
No. 8. – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 9 – Carlsbad, California
No. 10 – Washington, D.C.

The report analyzed 344 U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 people or more. Cities were ranked based on remote work data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 1-Year American Community Survey.

The report and its methodology can be found on smartasset.com.

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Settling Down

Dallas named one of the 50 best places to retire in the U.S. in 2026

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Dallasites getting ready to give up the daily grind are already living in the right place for their next chapter in life. Dallas has just been named the third-best city to retire in Texas, and it lands as the 50th best city in the U.S. for retirement living, according to a new WalletHub report.

The study examined 182 U.S. cities and ranked them based on 45 "retirement-friendly" livability metrics across four categories: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Florida dominated the top 10, with Orlando, Miami, and Tampa locking in the top three spots and Fort Lauderdale ranking eighth on the list.

Dallas fared best in the categories for "activities" and "affordability," respectively ranking 39th and 69th. The activities category analyzed attractions and entertainment venues for seniors, like the number of per capita museums, theaters, book clubs, senior centers, and bingo halls; whereas the affordability rank encompassed the local cost of living, taxpayer-friendliness, the costs for in-home services, and other factors.

Costs were a significant factor in the rankings, as many retirees live on a fixed income. Finances and affordability also play a huge part in determining where to live once it's time to put up those work boots, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

"As a result, the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so," he said. "In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees."

Dallas fell behind in the "quality of life" (No. 119) and "health care" (No. 130) rankings, but it wasn't enough to tank the city's overall performance.

In fact, Dallas is the Metroplex's No. 1 city for retirees, with six more DFW neighbors earning spots on the list:

No. 75 – Plano
No. 78 – Fort Worth
No. 91 – Grand Prairie
No. 101 – Garland
No. 107 – Irving
No. 124 – Arlington

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin topped the list as the No. 1 best place to retire statewide, and it ranked No. 23 nationwide. San Antonio claimed the No. 2 spot statewide and was the only other Texas city to rank among the national top 50.

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