It’s no surprise that the health crisis fueled a migration of many Americans young and old to less populated areas with lower risk of contagion. But even as fears around COVID-19 has eased significantly, the endurance of the remote work shift sparked by the crisis and lower costs in smaller metro areas have continued to encourage young Americans to move to rural communities, Lombard said.

Persistent labor shortages are likely to continue to force employers to allow remote work and push up wages sharply even in smaller communities, boosting their fortunes. while challenging larger cities.