Get Paid To Move To A New State: Complete Guide

How To Get Paid To Move To A New State In 2021

Many people do struggle and pay thousands of dollars to move to another state. But what if you could move to a better place and get paid for it?

Yes! You heard me, right. A lot of cities in the United States are paying people thousands of dollars to relocate there and start a business. Maybe you’d like to spend your old years in a state that has a lower cost of living or where there are more jobs. This could be your opportunity.

Working remotely always sounds impossible but recently, it became real for some people.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, famous companies like Amazon and Enterprise were already implementing remote working. Now, since the start of the pandemic, it has caused an increase in the demand and changed the labor force for many coming years.

Now, some places are even offering to pay people to move to their state and work from home.

This write-up will show you some of the leading cities and states that will pay you to move there in 2023. We researched these entire places to ensure that the programs are real and active as of the start of March 2023. So if you like any of these locations, be free to apply.

1. West Virginia

$12,000 cash, professional development opportunities, a free creation, outdoor equipment, and free co-working space.

West Virginia announced this on the 12th of April, 2021 and it is the newest state to offer workers money to move there. And it is a very attractive offer, especially for outdoor lovers. While a lot of attention will be centered on the cash incentive, a lot more is included by Ascend West Virginia, placing overall compensation at $20,000.

This is a super generous offer that remains unmatched by any similar program. Together with the tempting financial incentive of $12,000 and the entire recreational benefits, there is also free access to co-working spaces, social and networking events, as well as professional development opportunities starting from entrepreneurial programs to earning Remote Manager Certification from West Virginia University’s business school.

Be assured that this opportunity will quickly make headlines, together with a crazy dash of work from remote applicants. This should appear to anyone as a surprise. I give it to the people at Ascend V; it is evident that someone in their league is working smartly.

2. Northwest Arkansas

$10,000 cash and any street or mountain bicycle of your choice or yearly membership to any one of the cultural arts institutions.

Northwest Arkansas plans to add more than $1 million to its LifeWorks Here initiative, with a part of the funding from Walton Family Foundation. New Residents are offered $10,000 for their move to an already-nice area. Nelson Peacock, the President, and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council gave an explanation that when COVID-19 started, we saw a lot of people rechecking their lifestyle and they saw something important, and we felt we needed to benefit from that.

Here, the significantly low cost of living of the area helps to cushion city commuters who recognize an opportunity to slow down, especially as working from home takes effect.

Compared to New York City, NY, the cost of living is over 65% below that of Fayetteville Arkansas. Residents in Northwest Arkansas earn around 14% above per capita than the country’s average. It is a huge difference.

3. Tulsa, Oklahoma

$10,000 moving award together with a $1,000 housing stipend.

Tulsa Remote is a financially funded program by the George Kaiser Family Foundation that pays eligible applicants who move to Tulsa $10,000. There are few requirements you must meet to be eligible for Tulsa Remote:

  • Adults 18 or older who are qualified to work in the United States,
  • Move to Tulsa in 2021, and
  • Full-time remote work or self-employment outside of Oklahoma.

Similar to many other programs, Tulsa Remote provides a part upfront with a monthly earning until the end of the year, when you are paid the balance.

The cost of living in Tulsa, OK is 56.63% lower when compared with San Francisco, California, something that has newcomers moving in multitude for an improved quality of life.

Just in 2020, Tulsa Remote funded more than 375 members and the Ben Stewart, the Interim Director of Tulsa Remote commented on it that they’ve seen an increase in applications over the past six months to threefold.

4. North Platte Nebraska

For local companies, they match signing bonuses for new employees up to $5,000.

North Platte and its bordering area have a great and thriving job market. Nebraska understands it needs to invest in its local economy to gain employees and improve the business, so, that is the reason behind this. Following the trend, this type of additional cash can go far in a city that has a lower cost of living.

5. Alaska

The Permanent Fund Dividend pays residents royalties every year through a dividend. In the years 2018 and 2019, residents of Alaska were paid $1,600 each.

Alaska is famous for some of the best seafood and unlimited outdoor activities in the world, drawing outdoor lovers and foodies together. Alaska needs to improve its population to grow its economy, so they offer various range of incentive programs together with a perk of not having a state tax.

6. Newton, Iowa

About $10,000 cash to new homebuyers and host a welcome package of more than $3,000.

The average cost of a home is $105k, leading to a highly affordable cost of living. Friendly neighborhoods with excellent education and low crime make this a nice place for young families to settle their roots.

7. Baltimore

$5,000 down payment and closing cost help, together with a five-year forgivable loan.

Baltimore understands the need to invest in its community to help the crime rates. If you plan to buy a home in the future, this program lowers the amount of money you will pay up-front to purchase your home. This may not be your number one to live, but you surely can be a part of the change.

8. Savannah, Georgia

Up to $2,000 cash is provided to tech workers moving from outside Chatham County by the Savannah Technology Workforce Incentive. $20,000 grants are offered to businesses that create a minimum of 5 new technological jobs.

This historical city is getting the attention of people of all ages. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has made it seem like the new norm, Savannah has always offered great cocktails. History and cocktails are a perfect attraction; don’t you think? If you are a tech worker in the tech industry and you are willing to relocate to the oldest city in Georgia, you may be qualified for this incentive.

9. Lincoln, Kansas

Free land and lots starting from 12,000 – 35,000 square feet.

Are you planning to build your new home? You may consider Lincoln, KS. Together with the free land, the quality of life, low crime, great schools, and low cost of living make it a nice place to raise a family. If you satisfy any of the requirements of the incentive programs and still require some motivation, there are other great benefits to starting remote work in a new city.

10. Utah

The Rural Online Initiative (ROI) gives cheap specialized training courses to help get individuals ready for success in becoming digital gurus in rural Utah.

The purpose is to make the economic benefits available to those living in rural Utah areas, while also allowing companies to access the local workforce helping improve the local economies. This is great news for adventure and outdoor lovers. Utah is an adult destination with a lot of room for activities. Who wouldn’t like the idea of working closer to their playground? Benefit from this while it’s still up. 

Other Locations that Pay You to Move

Understand that one of the popular requirements for receiving monetary incentives is that you reside in the city or state for a certain amount of time, so, makes sure you read the entire rules before you apply.

11. The Shoals (Alabama Region)

Move to shoals and get $10,000 cash.

The Shoals is located in Northwest Alabama, a collective gathering of local cities that include Muscle Shoals, Florence, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield. Florence is a great option when you compare it to San Diego, California based on the financial aspect, as it has so many costs of living that are around 40% above Florence, Alabama.

There are actually requirements to be met by applicants.

  • Adults 18 or older who are qualified to work in the United States.
  • At least an income of $52,000 per annum
  • Must move to the Shoals area within six (6) months of approval
  • Full-time remote employment or self-employment being an independent contractor out of Colbert and Lauderdale counties

Applicants will be given 25% before their move, 25% six months after moving, and the balance after the first 12 months.

12. Topeka, Kansas

As stated on Choose Topeka website, about $10,000 gross in funds for home rental in the first 12 months of a candidate’s relocation; about $15,000 gross in funds for buying a home/rehab in Topeka/Shawnee County.

Topeka offers a huge $15,000 incentive for qualified new transplants, an amount that is far above some other similar programs. To offer the moving bonus, the city is in partnership with a lot of Shawnee County’s largest employers, easily listed on the website. Topeka is even more attractive because of its affordability.

Its home value for an average single-family home is $150,000 and there is no denying the amount of savings in the cost of living when compared to a lot of larger metropolises. The difference is about halt, with Topeka’s cost of living around 45% lower than that of Washington, D.C.

Right now, 40% of people working in Topeka do not reside in Shawnee County as written by the program.

We need to fight to get those workers back into our community to help our tax base, schools and enable the city to have more resources to improve our citizen’s quality of life.

FAQ

Many cities will offer moving assistance to you when you move there. Right now, these areas are Newton, Iowa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Topeka, Kansas, Northwest Arkansas, and the Shoals in Alabama.

You can, Alaska has implemented varieties of financial incentives to improve population growth. One important incentive is the permanent fund dividend that will share its worth between the entire new applicants. It is currently in billions, but a lot of applicants have revealed their interest in moving to the farther part of the safe.  

Conclusion

While COVID-19 has made some financial limitations for families across the country, there are lots of states and cities that are helping with the financial help and support that lots of Americans need today, states that pay you for just moving there.

Our COVID-19 Moving Trends study has provided you an insight into what the common moving hotspots were for 2021, so you know where to begin for your possible move. When you choose the cities that interest you, you should ask to see if there are any incentives currently available through the local government.

If you have made up your mind to move to any of the above states or cities, our trusted long-distance movers are ready to help you and make the move less-stress for you.

Adam Palme - Author
Adam Palme

Adam grew up in military family, which meant he moved more than 20 times before he graduated high school. The experience taught him a lot about adaptability (and loading boxes), which he leveraged into a career in the moving and storage industry 7 years ago. He’s been working in sales and customer service management for 20 years, and he uses his own experiences to write content about moving, storage, leadership, and teamwork. Outside of work, Adam enjoys coaching youth football in Miami and enjoying some beach time with his dog. Go Dolphins!

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