Workers Who Work Both At Home & The Office Make More Money

According to new data from the Census Bureau, people who work from home some of the time tend to make more money than people who work exclusively at home or at the office.

The median annual earnings for people who worked at home at least one day a week but also worked at a job site was $52,800 in 2010, compared with $25,500 for people who worked at home exclusively and $30,000 for people who always work onsite, the Census Bureau found.

About 9.5% of workers, or about 13.4 million people, worked from home at least some of the time in 2010. That was up from 9.5 million people, or 7.8% of all workers, in 1999, the Census Bureau reported.

“Mixed” workers who work both at home and in an office are generally affluent, with median household income of $96,300, according to census data. That compares with median household income of $74,000 for people who always work at home and $65,600 for people who always work onsite, the researchers reported.

Nearly half of the people who worked at home exclusively were self-employed, but experts say there are other explanations for why those who work from home make less. Some employers are finding that especially among younger workers, the ability to work at home and forgo a grueling commute is such a beneficial perk that they are willing to accept a lower starting salary in exchange for it. Flexibility can be a great recruitment tool because it saves employees the headaches that come with commuting, and it also can save employers money on real estate.