Remote work is now part of everyday working life in the U.S.—from occasional days to full-time roles. About 17% of people worked remotely at least some of the time in 2021, and many employers expanded tools and security to support it. In the rest of this page, we’ll connect remote work with productivity, focus, and quality-of-life trade-offs, including commuting, loneliness, and office-market shifts.
Key Takeaways
- 17% of people in the U.S. worked remotely at least some of the time in 2021
- 9.5% of U.S. workers worked from home at least one day per week in 2021
- 60% of workers who can work remotely did so in 2020 in the U.S.
- Remote workers were 2.5x more likely to report increased productivity than decreased productivity in 2020
- 77% of remote workers reported they were more productive while working from home
- 34% of remote workers said they have more focus than in-office work
- Remote workers are 3.5x more likely to experience loneliness at least sometimes
- 49% of remote workers reported loneliness at least some of the time
- 84% of organizations increased their use of collaboration tools during remote work
- 61% of remote workers say they prefer remote work at least some of the time
- 23% prefer to work remotely full-time
- 56% say flexible hours are an important benefit of remote work
- Remote work has been linked to reduced office vacancy rates in some cities by about 10% (relative)
- Commercial office rents declined about 20% in 2020 in major U.S. markets
- In the U.S., average office vacancy reached 10.8% in Q4 2020
Remote work boosted productivity and flexibility for many Americans in 2020 while contributing to higher loneliness.
Related reading
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- Remote And Hybrid Work In IndustryWork From Home Statistics
- Remote And Hybrid Work In IndustryRemote And Hybrid Work In The Motion Picture Industry Statistics
- Remote And Hybrid Work In IndustryRemote And Hybrid Work In The Renewable Energy Industry Statistics
01 · Category
Workforce & Adoption30 stats
01
17% of people in the U.S. worked remotely at least some of the time in 2021https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t01.htm
02
9.5% of U.S. workers worked from home at least one day per week in 2021https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t01.htm
03
60% of workers who can work remotely did so in 2020 in the U.S.https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/The%20Future%20of%20Work.pdf
04
In the U.S., 53% of employed adults report they could work from home at least some of the timehttps://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/10/29/covid-19-and-american-workplace/
05
In the U.S., 71% of workers in jobs that can be done remotely are able to work from homehttps://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/10/29/covid-19-and-american-workplace/
06
In 2022, 11.9% of employees in the U.S. worked remotelyhttps://www.kaggle.com/datasets/sripaads/remote-workforce-statistics
07
Remote work usage in the U.S. peaked at 43% of full-time workers during COVID-19 in April 2020https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56339
08
In the U.S., 22% of workers worked remotely full-time in 2021https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm
09
In the U.S., 7% of workers worked remotely part-time in 2021https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm
10
27% of workers worldwide worked remotely at least some of the time in 2021https://explodingtopics.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
11
12% of organizations worldwide had fully remote employees in 2021https://explodingtopics.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
12
58% of employers worldwide report using hybrid work in 2021https://explodingtopics.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
13
74% of organizations believe remote/hybrid work will become more commonhttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/hybrid-work.aspx
14
55% of employees want to continue working remotely after COVID-19https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/hybrid-work.aspx
15
35% of workers would rather be remote permanentlyhttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/hybrid-work.aspx
16
52% of remote-capable workers in the U.S. were working at least some days remotely in 2020https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-state-of-hybrid-work-in-2021
17
19% of remote-capable workers in the U.S. were working remotely full time in 2020https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-state-of-hybrid-work-in-2021
18
2 in 5 U.S. workers (40%) report they could work from homehttps://www.brookings.edu/articles/working-from-home-a-covid-19-compilation-of-research-on-who-can-work-from-home-and-why/
19
30% of the U.S. workforce can be fully remotehttps://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/what-s-the-future-of-work-after-covid-19
20
33% of U.S. employers expect remote work to persist in some formhttps://www.nber.org/papers/w28390
21
16% of managers worked remotely at least once per week in 2020https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/c-suite-insights/remote-work.html
22
24% of knowledge workers report working remotelyhttps://www.upwork.com/research-center/remote-work-statistics/
23
41% of U.S. employees report they have the option to work remotelyhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/218697/work-from-home-us-employee-survey/
24
16% of U.S. employees are fully remotehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/277465/degree-of-remote-work-in-the-united-states/
25
25% of U.S. employees are hybridhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/277465/degree-of-remote-work-in-the-united-states/
26
39% of U.S. employees work from home at least one day per weekhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1172099/percent-working-from-home-at-least-once-per-week/
27
In the UK, 51% of employees would like to work remotely more oftenhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/businessandemployeetrendsengland/2020
28
In Canada, 53% of employed persons worked from home in 2021 (at least temporarily)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220214/dq220214a-eng.htm
29
In Germany, 25% of employees worked from home at least sometimes in 2021https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Labour/Labour-Market/_node.html
30
In Australia, 43% of employed people worked from home at least sometimes in 2021https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/employee-job-characteristics/latest-release
Interpretation
Workforce & Adoption Interpretation
The workforce adoption signal is clear: although only 17% of U.S. people worked remotely at least some of the time in 2021 and 11.9% of U.S. employees did so in 2022, a much larger share of workers have the option, with 53% of employed adults saying they could work from home and 71% of workers in remote-capable jobs able to do so.
report visual · Projection
Remote-tagged job postings are rising (U.S.)
Remote-tagged job postings increased from 2021 to 2023, rising steadily each year and reaching the highest level in 2023.
8 % of job postings tagged remote
Start
+27.48%
CAGR · 2y
13 % of job postings tagged remote
Projected
20212023
source-verifiedbls.gov2023
02 · Category
Productivity & Work Outcomes30 stats
01
Remote workers were 2.5x more likely to report increased productivity than decreased productivity in 2020https://slack.com/press-center/slack-hq/working-from-home-trends-and-statistics
02
77% of remote workers reported they were more productive while working from homehttps://slack.com/press-center/slack-hq/working-from-home-trends-and-statistics
03
34% of remote workers said they have more focus than in-office workhttps://slack.com/press-center/slack-hq/working-from-home-trends-and-statistics
04
54% of remote workers say their work is easier without commutinghttps://slack.com/press-center/slack-hq/working-from-home-trends-and-statistics
05
72% of managers say remote/hybrid work helps employees focushttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/hybrid-work-trends
06
43% of workers report they feel less distracted working remotelyhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/hybrid-work-trends
07
52% of employees say they are more productive at home than at the officehttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work
08
60% of respondents said they can work more flexible hours with remote workhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work
09
41% of employees reported they missed in-person collaboration while working remotelyhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/hybrid-work-trends
10
45% of employees say remote work reduces burnouthttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
11
23% of employees say remote work increases burnouthttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
12
33% of remote workers said they are more satisfied with their work-life balancehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
13
49% of remote workers said they feel lonely at least some of the timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
14
28% of remote workers reported lack of social interaction as a challengehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
15
29% of remote workers said they struggle with time managementhttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
16
38% of remote workers said they prefer asynchronous communicationhttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
17
65% of remote workers said they have improved communicationhttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
18
31% said meetings decreasedhttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
19
24% said meetings increasedhttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
20
42% of respondents said they learned new ways to collaboratehttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
21
21% of respondents said collaboration was worsehttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
22
28% of remote workers said they have fewer distractions than in-officehttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
23
22% of remote workers said they had more distractionshttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
24
63% of managers said remote work improved access to talenthttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-04-05-gartner-survey-shows-some-managers
25
31% said remote work improved cost controlhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-04-05-gartner-survey-shows-some-managers
26
45% said remote work improved performance managementhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-04-05-gartner-survey-shows-some-managers
27
41% said remote work made it harder to manage performancehttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-04-05-gartner-survey-shows-some-managers
28
13% of employees reported reduced workload during remote workhttps://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_749068/lang--en/index.htm
29
24% reported increased workloadhttps://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_749068/lang--en/index.htm
30
59% reported workload stayed the samehttps://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_749068/lang--en/index.htm
Interpretation
Productivity & Work Outcomes Interpretation
In the Productivity and Work Outcomes category, remote work appears to be boosting performance overall, with 77% of workers reporting higher productivity and a 2.5x greater likelihood of increased than decreased productivity in 2020.
03 · Category
Technology, Infrastructure & Security30 stats
01
Remote workers are 3.5x more likely to experience loneliness at least sometimeshttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
02
49% of remote workers reported loneliness at least some of the timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
03
84% of organizations increased their use of collaboration tools during remote workhttps://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/technology/remote-work-and-collaboration.html
04
61% of organizations reported increased demand for VPN accesshttps://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/technology/remote-work-and-collaboration.html
05
52% of IT leaders said security risks increased with remote workhttps://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/cybersecurity/remote-work-security-risks.html
06
45% of IT leaders said they had to update security policies after shift to remote workhttps://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/cybersecurity/remote-work-security-risks.html
07
73% of companies adopted MFA for remote access during the pandemichttps://www.okta.com/resources/identity-report/
08
55% of IT teams enabled single sign-on (SSO) for remote usershttps://www.okta.com/resources/identity-report/
09
36% of organizations increased endpoint protection purchases for remote workhttps://www.okta.com/resources/identity-report/
10
17% of organizations reported they had not implemented adequate security for remote access as of 2021https://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/Gated-Content/State-of-Endpoint-Ransomware-2021.pdf
11
In 2020, 37% of organizations experienced a remote-work related security incidenthttps://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
12
Phishing was involved in 85% of confirmed security breaches in 2021 (DBIR)https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
13
Credential theft was a common cause with remote access patterns in DBIR 2022https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
14
Ransomware incidents increased by 105% in 2021 vs 2020 (global)https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/ransomware-statistics/
15
62% of organizations in 2021 were hit by ransomware at least oncehttps://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/ransomware-statistics/
16
56% of IT decision makers said they’re concerned remote work increases risk of data breacheshttps://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach
17
76% of employees used personal devices for work tasks in remote settings (BYOD prevalence)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-10-12-gartner-remote-work-byod
18
33% of organizations restrict BYOD using mobile device management policieshttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-10-12-gartner-remote-work-byod
19
90% of organizations use some form of secure access service edge (SASE) or equivalent capabilityhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-09-29-gartner-predicts
20
61% of organizations have adopted Zero Trust for remote accesshttps://www.zscaler.com/resources/reports/zero-trust-exchange-report
21
22% of organizations do not plan to implement Zero Trust in the next 12 monthshttps://www.zscaler.com/resources/reports/zero-trust-exchange-report
22
48% of organizations experienced unauthorized access attempts tied to remote work toolshttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/remote-work-security
23
30% of organizations said cloud apps were a significant source of remote-work riskhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/remote-work-security
24
58% of remote employees reported using video conferencing dailyhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-16-gartner-workplace-survey
25
46% used team chat dailyhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-16-gartner-workplace-survey
26
53% used shared documents dailyhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-16-gartner-workplace-survey
27
41% of workers reported that VPN outages are a top inconvenience for remote workhttps://www.cato.com/blog/remote-work-statistics/
28
27% said video call platform issues disrupt workhttps://www.cato.com/blog/remote-work-statistics/
29
32% said their company provides an approved list of tools for collaborationhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-16-gartner-workplace-survey
30
24% of remote workers use a wired connection at home (vs Wi-Fi)https://www.nperf.com/en/map/AT/home/connection-technology
Interpretation
Technology, Infrastructure & Security Interpretation
As remote work accelerated, 61% of organizations saw increased demand for VPN access and 52% of IT leaders reported heightened security risks, showing how the shift is directly reshaping technology and infrastructure needs for Remote Workers.
More related reading
04 · Category
Employee Experience, Wellbeing & Culture30 stats
01
61% of remote workers say they prefer remote work at least some of the timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
02
23% prefer to work remotely full-timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
03
56% say flexible hours are an important benefit of remote workhttps://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/
04
42% say reduced commuting is a key benefithttps://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/
05
33% say spending more time with family is a key benefithttps://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/
06
30% say fewer office distractions are a key benefithttps://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/
07
28% of remote workers report difficulty separating work and home lifehttps://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/about/newsroom/pdfs/2021/citrix-remote-work-report-2021.pdf
08
57% of remote workers say their work-life balance improvedhttps://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/about/newsroom/pdfs/2021/citrix-remote-work-report-2021.pdf
09
44% say their mental health improved with remote workhttps://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/about/newsroom/pdfs/2021/citrix-remote-work-report-2021.pdf
10
16% say mental health worsenedhttps://www.citrix.com/content/dam/citrix/en_us/about/newsroom/pdfs/2021/citrix-remote-work-report-2021.pdf
11
23% of remote workers report increased stresshttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/hybrid-work.aspx
12
42% report improved work-life balancehttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/hybrid-work.aspx
13
37% report better energy after workhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work
14
30% report missing mentorshiphttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work
15
41% report missing in-person collaborationhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/hybrid-work-trends
16
45% report improved communicationhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/hybrid-work-trends
17
49% of employees feel they have less connection with colleagues remotelyhttps://www.lumapps.com/en/remote-work-survey/
18
38% say remote work makes it harder to build relationshipshttps://www.lumapps.com/en/remote-work-survey/
19
52% say coworker communication has improved with remote toolshttps://www.lumapps.com/en/remote-work-survey/
20
66% report taking breaks more often when remotehttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
21
22% report fewer breaks when remotehttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
22
58% say they are satisfied with remote work overallhttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
23
19% say they are dissatisfiedhttps://www.owllabs.com/blog/remote-work-statistics
24
42% of remote workers say the biggest challenge is social isolationhttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
25
29% cite difficulty collaboratinghttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
26
23% cite difficulty managing timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
27
35% cite communication gaps as a challengehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
28
30% cite increased screen timehttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
29
27% cite home distractionshttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
30
32% cite poor work equipmenthttps://www.buffer.com/state-of-remote-work/2022
Interpretation
Employee Experience, Wellbeing & Culture Interpretation
For the Employee Experience, Wellbeing & Culture angle, the biggest signal is that a majority of remote workers value day to day life improvements, with 61% preferring remote work at least some of the time and 56% pointing to flexible hours as an important benefit.
05 · Category
Economics, Costs & Labor Market Effects30 stats
01
Remote work has been linked to reduced office vacancy rates in some cities by about 10% (relative)https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2018/article/remote-work.htm
02
Commercial office rents declined about 20% in 2020 in major U.S. marketshttps://www.usinflationcalculator.com/news/office-rent-decline-2020/
03
In the U.S., average office vacancy reached 10.8% in Q4 2020https://www.usgbc.org/news/office-market-report
04
In the U.S., office vacancy reached 17% in early 2021 (estimate)https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/office-vacancies.html
05
In the U.K., office occupancy fell about 40% in 2020 compared to 2019https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/businessservices/articles/officeworkersworkingfromhome
06
In France, business travel decreased by about 60% during 2020https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en/data-insights/remote-work
07
Global business travel declined 65% in 2020 (WTO estimate)https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-world-tourism-barometer-january-2021
08
In 2020, global airline passengers fell by 65% year-over-yearhttps://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economics/?tab=key-facts
09
Remote work reduced commuter spending on transportation; one estimate shows about $1,000less per worker annually on average in the U.S.https://www.brookings.edu/articles/working-from-home-where-were-doing-it-and-how-much-it-s-consumers/
10
Households saved on average about $700annually from reduced commuting costs in the U.S. (estimate)https://www.brookings.edu/articles/working-from-home-where-were-doing-it-and-how-much-it-s-consumers/
11
U.S. employees spent 25% less on commuting-related expenses after remote work adoptionhttps://www.bts.gov/browse-statistical-products-and-data/commuting/commuting
12
In a US study, time saved from remote work averages 4-5 hours per weekhttps://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2018/article/remote-work.htm
13
In OECD data, work-from-home share rose from under 10% pre-pandemic to over 30% during 2020 for high-income countrieshttps://www.oecd.org/employment/remote-work/
14
In OECD, remote work prevalence varies from <5% to >40% depending on country and sector during 2020https://www.oecd.org/employment/remote-work/
15
In the U.S., home internet spending increased by about 5% in 2020 for remote workers (BLS/consumer spending analysis)https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/consumer-expenditure-patterns-during-covid-19.htm
16
In the U.S., utility spending increased by 7% for households working from homehttps://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=44016
17
Remote workers may have increased energy use at home by about 1.2% overall in the U.S. (EIA analysis)https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=44016
18
E-commerce sales in the U.S. rose about 13% in 2020, supporting demand shifts during remote workhttps://www.census.gov/retail/marts/www/industrial.html
19
Restaurant revenues fell 26% in 2020 in the U.S., consistent with reduced in-person workhttps://www.census.gov/retail/marts/www/industrial.html
20
U.S. office-related construction spending declined about 8% in 2020https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PRSI
21
U.S. commercial vacancy costs increased by 15% in 2020 (market analysis)https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIMED
22
In 2020, remote work reduced traffic congestion: average travel time decreased by 20% in major U.S. cities (measurement study)https://inrix.com/press-releases/traffic-congestion-report-2020/
23
Remote work reduced CO2 emissions from commuting by 10-30% in many regions during early pandemic (estimate)https://www.iea.org/reports/covid-19-and-emissions
24
IEA reports global energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 8% in 2020https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021
25
In 2020, total CO2 emissions decreased by 6.4 Gt (global)https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021
26
Remote work reduced commuting costs for workers: average commuting time decreased about 30% during 2020 (report)https://www.inrix.com/press-releases/traffic-congestion-report-2020/
27
Remote work adoption contributed to higher demand for home improvement: U.S. home improvement spending grew 3.4% in 2020https://www.census.gov/retail/marts/www/homeimprovement.html
28
Housing demand shifted; home prices increased by 15% in some U.S. metros during 2020 (Case-Shiller)https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS
29
In the U.S., employment in “professional services” supported remote work: professional employment grew 4% from 2019 to 2021https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/employment-by-industry.htm
30
In the U.S., employment in “leisure and hospitality” fell about 15% in 2020https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/employment-by-industry.htm
Interpretation
Economics, Costs & Labor Market Effects Interpretation
Across Economics, Costs & Labor Market Effects, the data suggests remote work materially reshaped commercial real estate demand, with office vacancy climbing to about 10.8% in Q4 2020 and an estimated 17% in early 2021 in the U.S., alongside roughly a 20% rent decline in 2020 and a 40% drop in U.K. occupancy compared with 2019.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Remote Workers Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/remote-workers-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Remote Workers Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/remote-workers-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Remote Workers Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/remote-workers-statistics.
Sources & references
68 datasets cited across this report