Tulsa’s Economy Reaps Benefit of Remote Worker Program

For every dollar Tulsa spent to pay remote workers to move there, the Oklahoma city generated $4.31 in local economic benefits — more than double the return ratio of traditional incentive programs aimed at attracting large employers. That’s according to a new study on Tulsa Remote, one of the first and largest programs in the US to lure new residents with financial incentives.

Since 2018, more than 3,400 people have received $10,000 to relocate through Tulsa Remote, the majority of whom still live in the city today. Adding these new workers has boosted incomes for existing residents and created new jobs, while also building Tulsa’s tax base, the study found. Fola Akinnibi and I look at what made the program work, and how the study’s finding can be instructive for other cities. Today on CityLab: The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move