cyber commute

Frisco tops 2026 list of U.S. cities with the most remote workers

Remote work really is all that and a bag of chips.

Photo by Unsplash

North Dallas neighbor Frisco has landed atop a 2026 list of U.S. cities with the most remote workers for the second consecutive year, and an up-and-coming McKinney has surged into the top 10.

The personal finance experts at SmartAsset compared the 357 largest U.S. cities based on the percentage of people who work from home, and additionally calculated the mean commute times for non-remote workers in each city. Remote work prevalence was analyzed using U.S. Census data from 2023-2024.

The findings revealed a third of all employees based in Frisco work remotely, with more than 42,000 remote workers as of 2024. However, the city's remote work prevalence is slightly lower than it was the year before.

"Frisco remains the top city for remote work with 33.7 percent of workers aged 16 and up working from home, despite a slight decline from 34.2 percent a year earlier," the report said.

Frisco residents that don't have the privilege of working remotely spend about 27.3 minutes on average commuting to their workplaces, SmartAsset added. Over 63 percent of Frisco workers drive to their jobs, and less than one percent walk to work.

In McKinney, the prevalence of remote workers in the city surged from 24.2 percent in 2023 to 26.7 percent in 2024. The report additionally found there were 32,798 residents working remotely in McKinney in 2024.

McKinney workers also spend more time commuting than Frisco residents do. The average commute time for in-person work in the city added up to 31.8 minutes. Nearly 70 percent of workers drive to their jobs, and .69 percent report that they walk to work.

Nationally, remote work has declined as more employers push return-to-office mandates, according to SmartAsset. But new reports have indicated these mandates are backfiring as more people seek employment at companies that embrace and prioritize flexible working environments.

"Remote work can open up a lot of opportunities for employees, families, and employers alike," the report's author wrote. "However, shifts into remote work may also cause short-term challenges to some communities – such as loss or redistribution of businesses and services used by commuters."

For remote workers in Dallas-Fort Worth, there's a greater financial incentive to work remote than to commute. An April 2025 U.S. Census Bureau study determined remote workers in the Metroplex earn nearly 51 percent more than their commuting counterparts. Dallas-area remote workers made a median income of $77,000 in 2023, compared to $51,100 for other workers.

"Tradeoffs abound, tracking the evolution of work culture and where the spoils of productivity end up can provide guidance to businesses, politicians, job-seekers, and employers alike," the report said.

The top 10 U.S. cities with the most prevalent remote workforces are:

No. 1 – Frisco, Texas
No. 2 – Berkeley, California
No. 3 – Cary, North Carolina
No. 4 – Boulder, Colorado
No. 5 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 6 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 7 – McKinney, Texas
No. 8 – Fishers, Indiana
No. 9 – Boca Raton, Florida
No. 10 – Carlsbad, California

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Up and away

Self-flying air taxis one step closer to taking flight in Dallas-Fort Worth

Courtesy of Archer Aviation/Atlantic Aviation

This rendering shows what an air taxi VertiPort might look like.

Futuristic air taxis may soon join drones in the skies over North Texas.

The North Texas Council of Governments, a regional planning organization, is seeking permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to run a pilot project for testing unpiloted electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically. The council filed its application on Wednesday, January 21.

Members of the council are counties, cities, school districts, and other government organizations in a 16-county region anchored by Dallas-Fort Worth.

Among the airports that would be partners in the pilot project are Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Arlington Municipal Airport, Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, and Fort Worth Meacham International Airport.

Roger Venables, Fort Worth’s aviation director, says he foresees regular air taxi service becoming a reality within the next five years. At Meacham, for instance, air taxis could shuttle passengers to and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.

Meacham and Spinks serve private aircraft, such as business jets, while Perot Field serves cargo aircraft.

“We’re looking to embrace the next evolution of air transportation, particularly within an urban environment,” Venables says of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. “Our airports experience relatively low congestion compared to commercial airports, positioning them well as early adopters for pilot programs and demonstration activities.”

DFW International Airport and Arlington’s airport are also exploring air taxi service.

In 2023, the airports started collaborating with air taxi company Overair to one day launch service. The following year, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said he expected air taxis to ferry passengers to the city’s Entertainment District in time for this year’s World Cup soccer matches. But that won’t happen, as the FAA still hasn’t authorized transporting passengers to fly on air taxis.

City of Arlington spokeswoman Susan Schrock says the city plans to demonstrate vertical takeoff and landing aircraft at an event around the time of this summer’s World Cup. However, the aircraft will carry goods, not people, Schrock says.

The North Texas Council of Governments’ proposed three-year pilot project would operate short-range passenger shuttles and short-haul cargo aircraft. Initially, the airplane-helicopter hybrids would fly along two routes.

One of the pilot project’s key partners would be Plano-based VertiPorts by Atlantic, which develops takeoff and landing sites for these airplane-helicopter hybrids. VertiPorts is targeting markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Miami for development of its sites.

VertiPorts by Atlantic seeks to “reimagine urban connectivity,” CEO Kevin Cox says.

“This initiative represents not only a key investment in sustainable transportation but also an opportunity to provide faster, cleaner, and more efficient mobility options in some of the country’s busiest cities,” says Cox.

The pilot project’s other participants would include:

Texas A&M University’s Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies, which opened last year in Fort Worth
Southern Methodist University
University of Texas at Arlington
University of North Texas
Boeing-owned Wisk Aero, which plans to launch air taxi service in the Houston area by 2030
Air taxi manufacturers Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation
Beta Technologies, a manufacturer of self-flying vertical takeoff and landing aircraft

Funding for the North Texas project would come from its participants.

Last September, the FAA announced its pilot program for piloted and unpiloted electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically instead of horizontally (as traditional aircraft do). The program will comprise at least five pilot projects around the country.

“The next great technological revolution in aviation is here. The United States will lead the way, and doing so will cement America’s status as a global leader in transportation innovation,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in announcing the program.

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