# Relocation package

Relocation package, or worker relocation incentive program, is a financial and other bundled incentives to convince employees to relocate to different cities as a part of a company job offer, or from local and state government economic development programs.
Some companies, like Cameo, are similarly offering financial incentives for their workers to return to specific city offices.

## Government programs
### History

Around 2011, local philanthropists in Tulsa, Oklahoma noticed people who participated in Teach For America continued to live in Tulsa. These philanthropists were then curious about how to replicate this retention of young knowledge workers to the state. The managing director of Tulsa program, Tulsa Remote, previously worked at Teach for America.

### Participating regions

Below is a list of participating cities and associated benefits.
List of cities and their incentives :
| Year established | Year ended | City | State | Name | Financial incentive | Notes |
| 2018 | | Tulsa | Oklahoma | Tulsa Remote | $10,000 | |
| 2018 | 2023 | | Vermont | Think Vermont | $7,500 | Initial cash incentive was $10,000 |
| | | Multiple | Indiana | | $5,000 | Cities include Noblesville and Evansville |
| | | Multiple | Kentucky | | $5,000 | Total of $8,800 package, with an additional $2,500 bonus who bring a spouse working in healthcare or education |
| 2019 | | Topeka | Kansas | Choose Topeka | $5,000 | Up to $15,000 worth of incentives |
| 2019 | | The Shoals | Alabama | Remote Shoals | $10,000 | Eligibility includes self-employment or full-time remote employees outside Colbert and Lauderdale counties, make over $52,000 annually |
| 2020 | 2023 | | Arkansas | Life Works Here | $10,000 | Includes a free bike |
| 2020 | | Savannah | Georgia | | $2,000 | Incentive is intended to only reimburse moving costs |
| 2021 | | Multiple | West Virginia | Ascend West Virginia | $12,000 | $10,000 the first year, an additional $2,000 the second, outdoorsy perks include free passes for rock climbing, ziplining and golf, access to free co-working spaces |
West Virginia's program launched in April 2021 and has had 20,000 applications. The program spans across four regions of the state and welcomed new residents in the following order: Morgantown, Greenbrier County, Eastern panhandle, Greater Elkins, and New River Gorge. The program is funded by a $25 million gift from Brad D. Smith and his wife, Alys Smith, to West Virginia University's Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative. The program aims to welcome 1,000 remote workers over the next five years since launching in 2021.
Topeka's program, Choose Topeka, has had a yearly budget of $300,000, which is funded from an economic development sales tax. In the first six months of the program, Choose Topeka received over 6,000 applications.
Kentucky's program incentivizes individuals to move to Mayfield or Graves County.
Tulsa's program, Tulsa Remote, is funded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and intends to continue funding the program "so long as it demonstrates to be a community-enhancing opportunity".

### Motivations

Some motivations for applicants to apply for these relocation programs include lower cost of living, history of the city itself, volunteering opportunities, and access to sports leagues.
The cities themselves also have an incentive to offer these programs, including addressing brain drain of losing educated talent and boost a region's technology industry. Midsize, non-coastal cities like Tulsa have been struggling to retain younger professionals, and those who do move to Oklahoma were nearly all over the age of 45 and mostly had incomes below the state average.

### Impact

In December 2022, Tulsa, Oklahoma claims to have had 2,900 people be accepted into the relocation program and generating an established new sales tax revenue of $2.5 million for Tulsa County and $3.1 million for the state of Oklahoma. Then in 2024, survey results show remote workers who moved to Tulsa saved $25,000 or more on average on annual housing costs than those who did not choose to relocate to Tulsa. With more years to estimate from, researchers in 2024 estimate those who relocated brought in $14.9 million in annual income tax revenue and $5.8 million in sales tax.
In 2022, West Virginia claims that they have welcomed 150 new people into the state with a 98% retention rate.
It is estimated that the city of Topeka has had a $3.8 million impact to its economy.

### Concerns

These relocation incentive programs are not universally popular. Some have reported that residents local to the regions with these programs feel overlooked for employment in favor of the those who receive these incentives. It is also noted that this could "foster community divisions and potentially increase the cost of living, making it harder for long-term residents". For example, the median price of a home in Tulsa increased 9 percent compared with the national average increase of 3.2 percent. But some counter that the scale of new residents are too small to significant affect local costs.