Young Workers Trade City Life for Rural Incentives

Rising housing costs in major metros have prompted many younger Americans to seek more affordable living in the Midwest and Great Plains. The pandemic accelerated remote-work possibilities, fostering “zoom towns” such as Bend, Oregon, and Bozeman, Montana. Economic-development teams in smaller communities now offer cash incentives and perks to attract these newcomers, countering the coastal narrative that rural America is “dead.”

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Across the United States, dozens of 20-somethings are swapping long commutes and high rents for walk-to-work lifestyles in towns of a few thousand residents. Miller Karns, a 24-year-old emergency-management director, moved from Fort Worth, Texas, to Ottawa County, Kansas, receiving $6,000 in relocation assistance and restaurant vouchers. In South Dakota, couples like Sarah and Tyler Geltmacher left Peoria, Illinois, for Brookings, citing proximity to work, lower housing costs and a “five-minute” reach to daily needs. Companies such as MakeMyMove match job seekers with rural vacancies, charging communities $5,000-$10,000 for each successful placement.

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• A Stora report found 15 million people relocated last year, with 88 % citing affordability and 76 % attracted by easier access to nature.

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• Incentives range up to $10,000 per mover; many towns provide $5,000-$10,000 in cash or vouchers.

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• South Dakota topped 2025 relocation lists, gaining a net 11,000 new residents—a 9.5 % increase.

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• The state’s average home price is $310,014, below the national average of $357,275, and it has no state income tax.

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Mayor Oepke “Ope” Niemeyer of Brookings highlighted the influx of young couples, noting the city’s safety record and recent openings by Aldi and Target as evidence of economic revitalization. Erik Osberg, Rural Rebound Initiative Coordinator for Otter Tail County, Minnesota, described tourism as a “first-date” strategy that showcases lake-life to potential residents.

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• “There’s a pretty heavy narrative out there that rural communities are dying and our best days are behind us,” — Benjamin Winchester, rural sociologist and demographer at the University of Minnesota.

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• “It’s definitely challenged me to be a more resourceful person,” — Sarah Geltmacher.

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• “We expose them to what we call ‘lake life’,” — Erik Osberg.

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