Telecommuters and Super Commuters Outearn Others – A Study

Telecommuters and Super Commuters Outearn Others – A Study

21st March 2019 Off By Priyanka Athavale

A new study conducted by Apartment List, a research company in the US, found that remote workers and super commuters in America earned more than their professional counterparts. To clarify the term ‘super commuters’, it means anyone who works in a metropolitan but lives in a city or town outside the metropolitan, or someone who spends 90 minutes commuting to work on way. On an average. Telecommuters or remote workers are those who work from home.

A study conducted by the US census bureau found that in 2011, the number of working professionals living in a different city from their place of work was a fourth of the total number. The Apartment List report also marks a steady increase in the number of telecommuters. Since 2005, the number has grown by 76% from 3.2 million to 5.6 million workers who have no commute and work from the comfort of their homes.

Telecommuters and Super Commuters Earn More

Getting down to statistics, this study found that the perception towards traditional working arrangements is changing. People are increasingly prioritising work-life balance over a long commute. However, the flip side of this is that people who travelled more than 3 hours to and from work daily earned an annual average salary of $52,000, a 20.9% rise over those who commuted less than 3 hours. These professionals earned $43,000 annually on an average. However, the most surprising number is that of telecommuters. The study found that work-from-home professionals in the US earned an annual average salary of $55,000, which is a staggering 28% higher than an average commuter. Additionally, the study also shows that 8.6% of people working from home earn a minimum six-figure income. Further breaking down the statistics, it is found that telecommuters earn 21% more than their counterparts living in the same metropolitan and 7% more than those in the same industry.

Other Studies

The Global State of Remote Work report by OWL Labs finds that 85% of American companies offer remote working options, or are hybrid/fully remote themselves. It also finds that people who work remotely at least once in a month are 24% more likely to feel happy and be more productive at work. Mid America Nazarene University found that women include work flexibility in their ‘dream job’ checklist besides salary and location.

In a nutshell, these studies prove that those who work from home earn more than both super commuters and average commuters. Remote working arrangements positively affect happiness and productivity at work, and offering flexible options can help organisations recruit more female employees into their workforce to balance gender diversity.