Work from home behaviors among US urban and rural residents

Rates of working from home (WFH) have grown quickly over the last two decades, yet the option to do so varies by job sector and education level. Due to the advantages associated with WFH, equity concerns have arisen regarding the types of workers still required to commute. While previous studies have identified relationships between socioeconomic status and WFH access, few researchers have addressed the role of residential location. This paper uses pre-pandemic survey data to identify differences in WFH behaviors among U.S. rural and non -rural workers. To isolate the independent effect of residential location, this analysis uses binomial logistic and multinomial logistic regressions of 2017 travel data. Compared to urbanites, rural people prefer to work from home but less frequently can do so, all else equal. Findings on ethnicity, education, household structure, and professional employment also suggest distinct associations with WFH access by urban/rural residence. Under-standing WFH behaviors among people facing accessibility disadvantages - including rural residents- remains a critical task for researchers. The decline of the commute may be the most remarkable emerging trend in travel behavior. This may disadvantage people who cannot WFH, and rural residents may thus face new employment challenges and travel burdens. Efforts to support rural workers should prioritize access to technology infra-structure and jobs that can be done virtually.