Tulsa, Okla., has historically been known as the “oil capital of the world,” but professionals like engineers and tech developers—or “knowledge workers”—are now scrambling to make the city their home. The migration bump of about 3,000 from 2020 to 2023 is in part thanks to Tulsa Remote, a program offering a $10,000 incentive to remote workers willing to settle down in the heartland city. While program participants may count themselves a little richer, Tulsa has emerged as the big winner.
Research shared publicly for the first time this month from Harvard Business School management professor Prithwiraj Choudhury, who has gathered data from Tulsa Remote since 2019, shows evidence that not only are participants saving money through the program, but they’re also contributing to the economic wellbeing of the greater community. This is helping to reduce the city’s brain drain.
