MagnifyMoney 
If you ask Californians what they dislike most about their jobs, many will say commuting. For those who can work remotely, the time and money saved by not sitting in traffic is an undeniable perk. Residents in costly regions, like the San Francisco Bay Area, may find that remote work offers the possibility of going somewhere more affordable while retaining their high-paying jobs.
The coronavirus crisis has forced many businesses to embrace remote work. With more employees looking to embrace the remote lifestyle, MagnifyMoney researchers created six weighted categories to rank the best places for remote workers in California.
In North Tustin, remote workers should have no trouble whipping up their favorite nutritious meals at home, as only 1% of Orange County residents have limited access to healthy foods.
When it comes time to blow off steam after a day of remote work, fitness is an option for most — 81% of Orange County residents have access to exercise opportunities. The community finished with a solid safety score, too, taking into account violent crime incidents and motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people in the county, among other factors.
North Tustin is a great spot for remote workers with families. Residents are just a quick 15-minute drive from Irvine Regional Park, which is home to a zoo, equestrian trails, paddleboat rentals and tons of family fun.
Jamul may be an option for those working remotely to get a little more bang for their buck in a less-expensive part of California. In Jamul (San Diego County), the median home value is $663,800, according to owner estimates.
That may seem large for those not familiar with California home prices, but compare that to the median home value in big cities like San Francisco ($1 million) and San Jose ($793,000). Plus, this way, you can keep some extra money in a high-yield savings account.
With the median number of rooms within homes in Jamul coming in at around seven, remote workers will have plenty of space to create a comfortable and functional office. And when you need to escape your home office, the beach is only about a 30-minute drive away. How’s that for work-life balance?
Speaking of home offices, Granite Bay is a great place to carve out some space to work from home. Not only are the homes on the larger side for California (the median number of rooms is 7.6), but Granite Bay also has pretty good access to the internet, as 84% of residents have cable, fiber or DSL internet.
When it comes time to step away from your desk and stretch, you’ll be in good company, as 100% of residents in Placer County have access to exercise opportunities.
Granite Bay’s roots date to the California gold rush, when settlers arrived to take advantage of the plentiful gold mining opportunities in the area — maybe finding the perfect remote work opportunity in Granite Bay could be like striking gold.
Santa Cruz County, where Ben Lomond is located, is among the counties with the second lowest score for predicted climate change impact in California. And the county’s air quality is cleaner than in most parts of California, too, so feel free to work outside if that suits your fancy.
Aside from scoring highly for environmental factors, 88% of Ben Lomond residents have cable, fiber or DSL internet, which can make the remote work experience more seamless.
El Granada rounds out the top five places for remote workers in California after scoring highly for health and safety factors:
Internet access also shouldn’t be a problem, as 91% of El Granada residents have access to cable, fiber or DSL internet.
And when you want some fresh air, the San Mateo County Coastside (encompassing El Granada and several other nearby cities) offers access to beaches, forests and plenty of open space.
While remote working has its benefits, it can also be challenging to find work-life balance when working from home. Remote work is not a great fit for everybody, and some may appreciate the structure and socializing opportunities that a traditional office environment can provide.
Keep the following tips in mind for finding work-life balance while working from home:
Since we’re talking about remote working, we wanted to look at it from the opposite angle, too. If you’re working for a California company and decide to live out of state, research to ensure you understand the taxes you’re required to pay.
California is infamously aggressive with collecting income tax. Remote workers employed by companies in the Golden State may owe still state income taxes.
If you leave the state, it’s important to request that your employer update your paycheck and W-2 form to record you as a resident of a different state.
To rank which places in California are best for remote workers, we created six categories:
Each data point among the categories was individually scored on a rank of 1 to 100, with one representing the worst and 100 representing the best. These scores were then averaged to create the category score. Lastly, the category scores were combined (using the weights described below) to create the overall score. All scores were rounded to the tenth.
The categories and their components are:
MagnifyMoney researchers considered ranking other categories, too, such as the local businesses available for shopping, dining and recreation, as well as school quality features. However, we were concerned that past performance in these areas can’t be taken as a predictor of future performance. Local businesses have shuttered in many parts of the U.S. and schools have struggled with teacher retirements and online learning challenges amid the pandemic.
MagnifyMoney analysts ranked every municipality and Census-designated place in California with a population of at least 5,000 people and for which all data was available.
All data is the most recently available for these geographies.
Jacqueline DeMarcoJacqueline DeMarco is a freelance writer who is particularly passionate about finance. She began her career in the retirement industry. Today, she works with more than a dozen financial brands to create entertaining and educational money content.
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