Tulsa is paying people more than $10,000 just to move there

Go West, young entrepreneur.

Tulsa, Okla. is offering remote workers $10,000 to move there. The city is joining the ranks of other locations in the U.S. including Vermont and Maine advertising incentives to workers for relocating.

Tulsa claims it is “the ideal city” for remote workers due to its array of museums, low cost of living, and food and drink scene.

“Tulsa is gaining international recognition for the use of modern technology to better serve citizens, and one of the areas where we see great opportunity is as a home for remote workers,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said.

One catch: You have to stay in Tulsa for a full year to cash the complete prize.

One catch: You have to stay in Tulsa for a full year to cash the complete prize. Each $10,000 grant comes in the form of $2,500 to be put towards relocation expenses, a $500 per month stipend, and $1,500 at the end of a 12-month program.

The grant, which is offered in partnership with the City of Tulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, also includes a free membership to 36 Degrees North, a co-working space in the city. The folks behind the program are hoping remote workers will choose to stay beyond that 12-month finish line.

“We are looking for talented and energetic people who not only will consider relocating permanently to Tulsa but especially for people who want to make something happen here — to add to the dynamism, idealism and get ‘er done spirit of Tulsa.” Ken Levit, executive director of George Kaiser Family Foundation, said.

The rate of violent crimes there is 565.7 per 100,000 people, according to the FBI.

The cost of living in Oklahoma is 8% lower than the national average, according to salary-comparison site Payscale. But based on its cost of living, quality of life, and job market, Oklahoma was ranked 43 out of 50 in a recent U.S. & World Report ranking of the best states in which to live.

Tulsa is the 14th most dangerous city in the U.S., according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2017 Uniform Crime Report with a population of 404,868 people and a rate of 565.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

The Tulsa Remote program comes as flexible work is on the rise. The number of people quitting their jobs for flexible work doubled from 2014 to 2017 and the number of remote jobs rose 115% between 2005 and 2018, according to FlexJobs, a job-search site for remote work.

Remote workers are shown to be more productive than non-remote workers: A 2017 study of 24,000 workers from the video and voice collaboration technology company Polycom Inc. found that 98% of people said the ability to work anywhere has a positive impact on productivity.

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