Montana Ranks 45th in the US for this Attractive Job Option?

A new study says Montana ranks near the bottom for best places to work from home. According to ergonomic furniture company Desky.com, 44 other states are better than Montana for remote work.

Did you work at home during Covid? Did you ever go back to the office?

Based on internet speed and the number of available remote jobs per 10,000 people, Montana doesn't look great from the outside. But I feel like this study doesn't accurately portray the reality of the work-from-home model in Montana.

Lousy internet, lack of remote jobs.

According to the study's findings, the average internet speed in Montana is a meager 110.5 Mbps. We rank poorly for the number of remote job openings, with 21 per 10,000 people. These factors dragged our WFH score down to 45th in the US.

Question: Since they're remote jobs, wouldn't all states be somewhat equal in ranking for available jobs? Perhaps they meant Montana-based companies that offer work-from-home?

Also, while large areas of the state are high-speed internet deserts, most urban areas have satisfactory internet speeds.

Montana scored ok on the electric bill.

Citing electricity costs, Montana is below the national average, per the US Energy Information Association. The average Residential Rate for Montanans is 12.22 cents/kWh, while the national average is 16.68 cents/kWh.

Montana also cracks the Top 10 for states producing the most renewable energy, around 50%. Largely from hydro, followed by wind and solar.

I'm calling bunk on this study.

Out of all the Montana newbies who moved here from 2020 - 2024, how many do you suppose brought their jobs with them? Most of them probably continue to work from home today, or perhaps a hybrid combo.

The top five best states for remote jobs are Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Delaware, and Maryland, according to the report.

What state could draw you away from Montana if you could work 100% from home?