The COVID-19 pandemic has truly changed the way we think about the nature of work, and in particular, where we live versus where we're employed. Pre-pandemic, telecommuting or work-from-home situations existed, but they weren't the norm. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans rarely or never telecommuted pre-pandemic. Months later, just over half of workers who could were telecommuting. Although vaccines were on the horizon—and with that, an imminent return to office life—many still preferred this new way of working.
Employees discovered that working from home certainly had an upside. No more long, stressful commute. They were more productive. Having more flexibility with time allowed them to better manage a household. For those who live in expensive real estate markets, the pandemic has provided an opportunity to make the leap to a more affordable city without sacrificing a big-city paycheck.
While many employers want to bring workers back to the office in some capacity, the work-from-home trend is likely here to stay. With it, smaller cities may continue to boom, as people leave larger cities for a different lifestyle. So, where in your state are people coming to settle and enjoy this new work-from-anywhere style of living? To find out, Stacker compiled a list of metros where the most people are finding new jobs in Fort Wayne, IN using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Jobs-to-Jobs Flows. Metros are ranked by the number of people that started a new job in Fort Wayne, IN in the first quarter of 2021.
You may also like: The highest-value homes in Fort Wayne
1 / 20
#20. Toledo, OH
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Toledo in Q1 2021: 22
--- #23 most common destination from Toledo
- Started a new job in Toledo from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 17
--- 0.3% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 5 to Fort Wayne
2 / 20
#19. Columbus, OH
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Columbus in Q1 2021: 26
--- #53 (tie) most common destination from Columbus
- Started a new job in Columbus from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 29
--- 0.6% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 3 to Columbus
3 / 20
#18. Non-metropolitan area(s), MI
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Non in Q1 2021: 31
--- #31 most common destination from Non
- Started a new job in Non from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 29
--- 0.6% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 2 to Fort Wayne
4 / 20
#17. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Detroit in Q1 2021: 42
--- #50 most common destination from Detroit
- Started a new job in Detroit from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 50
--- 1.0% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 8 to Detroit
5 / 20
#16. Michigan City-La Porte, IN
6 / 20
#15. Terre Haute, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Terre Haute in Q1 2021: 50
--- #10 most common destination from Terre Haute
- Started a new job in Terre Haute from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 35
--- 0.7% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 15 to Fort Wayne
7 / 20
#14. Bloomington, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Bloomington in Q1 2021: 50
--- #10 most common destination from Bloomington
- Started a new job in Bloomington from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 52
--- 1.0% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 2 to Bloomington
8 / 20
#13. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Cincinnati in Q1 2021: 51
--- #43 most common destination from Cincinnati
- Started a new job in Cincinnati from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 47
--- 0.9% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 4 to Fort Wayne
9 / 20
#12. Kokomo, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Kokomo in Q1 2021: 53
--- #6 most common destination from Kokomo
- Started a new job in Kokomo from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 49
--- 0.9% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 4 to Fort Wayne
10 / 20
#11. Columbus, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Columbus in Q1 2021: 54
--- #7 most common destination from Columbus
- Started a new job in Columbus from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 40
--- 0.8% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 14 to Fort Wayne
You may also like: Highest-paying science jobs for people in Fort Wayne
11 / 20
#10. Evansville, IN-KY
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Evansville in Q1 2021: 73
--- #11 most common destination from Evansville
- Started a new job in Evansville from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 65
--- 1.2% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 8 to Fort Wayne
12 / 20
#9. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Louisville/Jefferson County in Q1 2021: 84
--- #20 most common destination from Louisville/Jefferson County
- Started a new job in Louisville/Jefferson County from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 78
--- 1.5% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 6 to Fort Wayne
13 / 20
#8. Muncie, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Muncie in Q1 2021: 103
--- #4 most common destination from Muncie
- Started a new job in Muncie from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 95
--- 1.8% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 8 to Fort Wayne
14 / 20
#7. Non-metropolitan area(s), OH
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Non in Q1 2021: 116
--- #23 most common destination from Non
- Started a new job in Non from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 85
--- 1.6% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 31 to Fort Wayne
15 / 20
#6. Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Lafayette in Q1 2021: 137
--- #5 most common destination from Lafayette
- Started a new job in Lafayette from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 114
--- 2.2% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 23 to Fort Wayne
You may also like: Highest-rated ice cream shops in Fort Wayne by diners
16 / 20
#5. Elkhart-Goshen, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Elkhart in Q1 2021: 244
--- #5 most common destination from Elkhart
- Started a new job in Elkhart from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 361
--- 6.9% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 117 to Elkhart
17 / 20
#4. South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from South Bend in Q1 2021: 275
--- #6 most common destination from South Bend
- Started a new job in South Bend from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 263
--- 5.0% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 12 to Fort Wayne
18 / 20
#3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Chicago in Q1 2021: 338
--- #30 (tie) most common destination from Chicago
- Started a new job in Chicago from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 286
--- 5.5% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 52 to Fort Wayne
19 / 20
#2. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Indianapolis in Q1 2021: 1,352
--- #4 most common destination from Indianapolis
- Started a new job in Indianapolis from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 1,450
--- 27.7% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 98 to Indianapolis
20 / 20
#1. Non-metropolitan area(s), IN
- Started a new job in Fort Wayne from Non in Q1 2021: 1,507
--- #3 most common destination from Non
- Started a new job in Non from Fort Wayne in Q1 2021: 1,626
--- 31.0% of total new out-of-metro jobs
- Net job flow: 119 to Non
You may also like: Highest-rated dessert shops in the Fort Wayne area by diners