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The New Geography of Labor Markets

Author

Listed:
  • Mert Akan
  • Jose Maria Barrero
  • Nicholas Bloom
  • Thomas Bowen
  • Shelby R. Buckman
  • Steven J. Davis
  • Hyoseul Kim

Abstract

We study where Americans live in relation to their employer’s worksite using matched employer-employee data, and how that relationship changes with the rise of work from home (WFH). Mean distance from home to employer’s worksite rose more than 70% between 2019 and 2024 in our dataset. Twelve percent of employees hired after March 2020 reside fifty or more miles from their employer by 2024, triple the pre-pandemic share. Distance to employer rose most for those in their 30s and 40s, among highly paid employees, and in Finance, Information, and Professional Services. Especially for the affluent, the pandemic-instigated rise in WFH initiated a multi-year pattern of net migration to areas with cheaper housing and states with lower tax rates. Finally, we show that distant employees exhibit more sensitivity to firm-level adjustments on hiring and separation margins. These developments have implications for residential location, state-level tax revenues, labor markets, and household welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Mert Akan & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Thomas Bowen & Shelby R. Buckman & Steven J. Davis & Hyoseul Kim, 2025. "The New Geography of Labor Markets," NBER Working Papers 33582, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33582
    Note: CF EFG IO LE LS PE PR
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    Cited by:

    1. Laura Ketter & Todd Morris & Lizi Yu, 2025. "A new equilibrium: COVID-19 lockdowns and WFH persistence," Papers 2506.16671, arXiv.org.
    2. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Katelyn Cranney & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2026. "Younger Firms and CEOs Allow More Work from Home," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 116, pages 223-227, May.
    3. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Katelyn Cranney & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2026. "Work from Home and Fertility," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 839, Asian Development Bank.
    4. Peter John Lambert & Yannick Schindler, 2026. "The broken ladder: AI, remote work, and early-career hiring," CEP Discussion Papers dp2193, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Ketter, Laura & Morris, Todd & Yu, Lizi, 2025. "A New Equilibrium: COVID-19 Lockdowns and WFH Persistence," IZA Discussion Papers 17975, IZA Network @ LISER.
    6. Jan K. Brueckner & David R. Agrawal, 2025. "Work-from-Home and Wage Convergence Across Cities: An Exploration," CESifo Working Paper Series 12150, CESifo.
    7. Li, Wenli & Su, Yichen, 2026. "The great reshuffle: Remote work and residential sorting," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General

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