According to one study, only about 10% of Americans decided to move in 2018.
Over the past few years, there has been a bigger trend of people staying where they are instead of starting a new life somewhere else. This is why there are now some places that pay you to move there.
There are plenty of cities that pay you to move there, but what are they? And how do you find them? Keep reading, and we'll break down the best places for you here!
Cities
There are plenty of cities that will pay you to move there, but some of them offer better offers than the other ones.
Before you decide to move and book a moving company, make sure you do a lot of research first.
1. Tulsa, Oklahoma
If you've recently been working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tulsa in Oklahoma is offering some great incentives to remotely work from their city.
They hope to attract people here with this incentive and have them fall in love with this city to work here and bring in all kinds of talent.
They started the program in 2018. If you're a full-time remote worker, you'll get $10,000 on top of a $1,000 housing stipend to move across the country and live there. You'll get this money paid out over the span of a year.
In order to qualify, you'll have to move there within six months. You'll also have to be older than eighteen and not already live in Oklahoma. Your job will have to let you work remotely, which means that you'll legally have to be eligible to work in the United States.
There are also a few other requirements that you might have to meet, so make sure you're approved before you decide to pick up and move there.
2. Ozarks, Arkansas
The Northwest Arkansas Council is willing to pay remote workers $10,000 in order to move to either Washington or Benton County. On top of the $10,000, you'll also be able to get a bicycle.
Overall, the council has $1 million to give out to new residents, so they're ready to attract all kinds of talent to their area. Their goal is to have diverse, long-term talent in their area to help support their economy.
In order to qualify for this, you'll have to be at least twenty-four years old with two years' worth of work experience already under your belt. You'll need to have a full-time job outside of Arkansas and be ready to move within the next six months.
You'll only be able to get one grant per each household, so if you and your spouse can both work remotely, only one of you will be able to get it.
3. Marquette, Kansas
If you're currently living in a crowded city, Marquette is one of the cities that pay you to move there, and they have plenty of space to offer.
The population in this city has been declining since the beginning of the 1900s, so they are trying to find ways to bring people to their area. One way they're doing it is by giving newcomers a free plot of land.
The free plots of land that they're giving out are located on the west side of town. You'll be in the Westridge Addition, and you'll be able to see sprawling fields with amazing sunsets from there.
In order to get one of these free plots of land, you'll have to agree to build your home there within one year. Once your home is finished, you'll have to live there for another year after that.
4. North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte in Nebraska is also wondering how they can improve the economy in their city. In an effort to do so, they came up with the Work NP program to partner with employers in the local area.
If you accept a job in the area, they will match your sign-up bonus up to $5,000. That means if your new employer will pay you $5,000 to work there, North Platte will also pay you $5,000. You could end up getting $10,000 just by accepting a job there!
You can use this money for anything you want, including relocating to the area.
However, in order to get the bonus from the city, you will have to meet some requirements. You'll have to earn at least $20 per hour there. You'll also have to live in the city for the next three years.
5. Topeka, Kansas
Topeka is another one of the cities that will pay you to move there. If you do move there, you'll partake in their program called "Choose Topeka." Through this program, you'll be able to receive up to $15,000 just by living and working in Topeka.
However, you will also have to purchase a house there. If you don't want to buy a house there, you can still decide to rent a home. Renting will still let you be eligible to receive up to $10,000.
In order to get this, you have to apply to the program and be accepted. If you're accepted, you'll have to live there for at least a year until they give you the money.
6. Chattanooga, Tennessee
If you have a career in technology and want to stay closer to the East Coast, Chattanooga is one of the other cities that will pay you to move there.
They're trying to boost their tech industry there, which is why many people are heading that way. However, in order to do that, they need to get more people living there. That's why they came up with the Geek Move Program.
Through this program, you'll be able to get $1,250 to help you relocate, and then you'll also get $10,000 in a mortgage that is forgivable. And if you need help with shipping your car to Tennessee, we can help with that.
7. Osborne, Kansas
Osborne is another one of the places that pay you to move there, and it's also another city in Kansas.
They're offering free plots of land to both private and commercial residents to help boost their population in the city. If you're interested in moving there or starting a business there, all you need to do is fill out an application for their free land.
If you want a commercial lot, you'll have to meet some requirements. You'll need a business and building plan to submit to them for review. You'll also need to have at least three full-time employees. Lastly, they'll ask you to submit a $500 deposit that will be returned to you once all of the requirements are met.
8. Hamilton, Ohio
When you're wondering, "What are the cities that people are moving to?" you'll find Hamilton.
In Ohio, the Hamilton Community Foundation is offering college students what is called a "reverse scholarship." They'll pay recent graduates $10,000 to move to their city and work.
This is part of their program to attract new talent in the industries of:
- Science
- Technology
- Arts
- Math
- Engineering
The city designed this program specifically to help recent graduates pay off their student debt.
To qualify, you have to have graduated within the past seven years. You'll only be able to move to certain areas of the city. For example, you'll have to find a job in either Hamilton or Butler County.
With this program, they encourage you to become active in the community, but it's not a requirement.
If you are accepted, they will pay $10,000 off of your student loans over thirty months. This means that they'll pay you $300 a month.
9. Baltimore, Maryland
In Maryland, you'll be able to get $5,000 in closing costs if you buy a home through their Buying Into Baltimore program.
To qualify for this, you'll need to have a certificate from their homeownership counseling program. You'll have to make that home your primary residence and make sure the house is less than $517,500 when you buy it.
There are a few other qualifications for this program, so check on their website before you decide to move there.
States
In addition to certain cities, there are plenty of states that pay you to live there as well!
The three listed below aren't necessarily restricting you to just one city, so you'll be able to move anywhere in that state.
1. Vermont
Vermont is one state that doesn't have any designated city you need to move to. If you move anywhere in Vermont, they're willing to pay you.
This Green Mountain state is one of the states that pay you to live there because it wants remote workers to move there, as long as they lived out of the state previously.
In addition to beautiful mountainous views, they'll pay you up to $10,000 over the course of two years. They offer you this through the Remote Worker Program. They'll only offer these grants and payments on a first-come-first-served basis to try and bring younger workers into the state.
The average population in Vermont is about 40 years old, so they're trying to help make their population more diverse while also improving their economy.
If you are accepted into the program, you'll get $5,000 the first year to help you with your relocation to the state. You'll also be able to use this money to pay for anything you might need in order to work remotely in the state. They will also give you a membership to a space where you can work with other remote employees to try and meet new people.
2. Alaska
When you ask most people what their dream state would be to live in, most people don't say Alaska. That's why Alaska is one of the states that pay you to live there.
They've gotten a lot of money from the oil in the state, and now they're dividing the oil revenue up between all of their residents. In order to qualify for this money, you'll have to live in the state for at least a year.
You'll also have to have stayed in the state at least 190 days per year to help boost their economy.
Other qualifications include making sure that you don't have any felonies on your record. If you don't, you can get about $1,200, but in some years, people have even been able to get close to $3,000.
3. Maine
If you want to move to New England but Vermont isn't your thing, you can also try Maine.
They came up with an Educational Opportunity Tax Credit program. This is similar to Hamilton's plan where they offer to pay a portion of your student loans.
To qualify for this, you have to have your bachelor's degree from any type of college or university. You can also have an associate's degree, but you won't get as much money back. With a bachelor's degree, you can get up to $377 a month; with an associate's, you can only get $68 per month.
Maine has an older population as well, and most younger people only come there to visit, but they never stay. The main reason the incentive exists is to try and get younger people to stay and live there as well.
Discover More Cities That Pay You To Move There
These are only a few of the cities that pay you to move there, but there are many more out there that are waiting for more residents!
If one of these cities (or states) interests you, you should start figuring out the logistics of how you'll move there. One thing you'll have to consider is how to get your car there.
You can either drive the car there yourself, or you can have a car moving company ship it for you so that you don't have to put any extra mileage on it. Thankfully, we've got you covered.
If you're interested to see how much it would cost for us to ship your car, make sure you check out our cost calculator and contact us with any questions! While you're at it, you may also want to use our moving cost estimator to determine the cost of moving your household items.
