Dunn County is Telecommuter Forward, Offering Broadband Access that's Critical for Remote Work

Telecommuting used to be the way of the future. Thanks to COVID-19 it has become a present day reality for people throughout the state of Wisconsin and the rest of the country. Many companies have chosen to offer remote work options to employees to lesson the spread of COVID-19 and that has created an incredible opportunity for people to live where they want to - rather than where they have to. 

Dunn County is known for its rural beauty and access to outdoor recreation. For people living in the Twin Cities, the county has often been visited for weekend recreation and even for a summer home. Now, many of these and other visitors have the opportunity to live in our beautiful county year round. Fortunately, Dunn County was ready.

Thanks to the efforts of the Dunn County EDC, local stakeholders, cooperatives and broadband providers, Dunn County has made a focused effort to bring fast broadband speeds to everyone living here. As a result, the county was named a Telecommuter Forward! certified community. This means that Dunn County has made a concerted effort to promote telecommuting opportunities for existing and new residents.

According to Global Workplace Analytics, working from home for non-self-employed people has grown by 140% since 2005 and that was before COVID-19.  Now, remote work has become the norm and many businesses see it as being a permanent option or benefit to employees looking for a more flexible work arrangement going forward. 

Remote workers would be an excellent addition to our community.

Global Workplace Analytics reported that the average telecommuter has a college degree, earns at least $58,000 a year, and works for a company with 100 or more employees. For 75 percent of employees who work from home, their salary is over $65,000 per year. So, telecommuters are highly educated, professional, and earn an income that is in the upper 80th percentile of all employees, meaning they have the spending power to positively impact our local economy. In a time where local restaurants and shops could use the support, attracting more remote workers could be a win for businesses throughout the county - in addition to being a win for remote workers and their families. 

We encourage telecommuters to move to Dunn County

Dunn County is actively working to ensure that telecommuters have the infrastructure they need to succeed while working from home. As Jim Kusilek, Operations Manager for West Wisconsin Telcom said, “Our priority is providing broadband service and the ability for people to work from home.” West Wisconsin Telcom, Mosaic Telecom, and Ntec are some of the organizations working to ensure that telecommuters have the broadband speeds they need to succeed. And we’re glad that they have been. This investment is key for attracting remote workers today, but it was absolutely critical for the Dunn County residents that had to temporarily work from home during COVID-19. Ultimately, broadband helps us all and we are grateful that Dunn County’s leaders saw it as a priority long before 2020. 

Join us in Dunn County

We encourage remote workers to learn more about our community and to discover the many benefits of living and working here.