Want to Move to Vermont? The State Will Pay You $10,000 to Relocate
It's offering a big incentive to work remotely.
Photo via iStock.com/DenisTangneyJr
Tired of the bustle of the city, dealing with traffic, and cramming into MBTA trains day after day? Ever thought the bucolic beauty of the mountainous state of Vermont might be right for you? Well, thanks to state officials, you’ve officially got 10,000 more reasons to make the move.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott this week signed a bill into law that will free up a big pot of money to people from out-of-state willing to work remotely. The funds—a maximum of $5,000 a year or $10,000 total—can be used to pay for moving costs and other expenses, such as broadband internet or membership in a co-working space. The new program is an effort to address the issue of Vermont’s aging and shrinking workforce, enticing people from out of state to bolster its population.
“We think Vermont is well-positioned to capitalize on the increase in the availability of remote work,” Michael Schirling, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, tells the Burlington Free Press.
In total, $125,000 in grants are available for 2019, $250,000 for 2020, and $125,000 for 2021. They’re available on a first-come-first-served basis. It’s not a bad deal for those among us who might enjoy enjoy skiing, syrup slathered stacks of flapjacks, and locally made cheeses, not to mention some of the best flannel the world has ever known.
Meanwhile, a new poll of New Yorkers has found that residents of that city say if they had to move, their number one destination would be Boston (which the New York Post lamented is the city’s “archrival”) —and that’s without us having to sweeten the deal.
