How the Coronavirus Is Impacting Work From Home

Here’s Who Is Working From Home Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak

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Updated on October 7th, 2020

A quarter of Americans are working from home more frequently due to the coronavirus, according to a survey conducted by Redfin.

The results differed significantly by city. In Seattle, which as of March 12, 2020 had the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases of any state, half of prospective homebuyers and sellers said they’re working remotely more often due to the outbreak—double the national figure. In second place was San Francisco (44.7%), followed by New York City (37.8%) and Philadelphia (33.3%). The cities where respondents were least likely to work remotely were Albuquerque, NM (8.3%), Atlanta (8.3%) and Dallas (10.0%).

By Occupation

The results also varied by industry. Participants who work in the technology sector were the most likely to be working from home more often due to the coronavirus (46.3%), followed by those who work in financial services (40.4%) and consulting (39.6%). Meanwhile, the occupations least likely to work remotely were travel (5.3%), parenting (9.4%) and retail (10.5%).

By Income

The higher a respondent’s annual household income, the more likely they were to say that they’re working from home more frequently due to COVID-19. Of participants who make at least $200,000 a year, 45.3% said their remote work has increased—nearly double the overall figure. Of respondents who make less than $100,000, only 13.3% said they’re working remotely more frequently.

By Age

The findings of the survey differed slightly when broken down by generation. Among baby-boomer respondents, 21.6% said they’re working remotely more often due to COVID-19, the lowest share of any group. Meanwhile, at 26.9%, millennials were the most likely to say they’re working from home more frequently.

Methodology

Redfin conducted a survey in March 2020 of more than 1,000 customers who plan to buy and/or sell a home in the next 12 months. Respondents were asked about how COVID-19 is impacting their work habits, perspectives on the housing market, and home buying and selling plans. We asked participants to identify, from a list, which major city was closest to where they live, which is reflected in the data above.

Lily Katz

Lily Katz

As a data journalist, Lily is passionate about helping readers understand complex facets of the housing market. She is particularly interested in the issues of climate change, race and gender equality and housing affordability. Prior to working at Redfin, Lily spent four years as a reporter at Bloomberg News in New York City.

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