Digital barriers preventing lower-income North Carolinians from working remotely

Making sure every household has access to affordable broadband is an economic must in the modern world. This imperative has become all the more pressing as we continue to navigate a global pandemic where the ability to work remotely can provide economic security and physical safety.

Unfortunately, we failed to close digital cost divides before the pandemic arrived, leaving many low- and middle-income North Carolinians with no way to work remotely.

While only 6 percent of households with incomes over $75,000 lack broadband in the home, nearly half of the households with incomes below $20,000 don’t have broadband. While some neighborhoods and rural communities lack access altogether, cost is the main barrier for many low-income households.

Without broadband access, remote work simply isn’t an option for many lower-income workers, contributing to equally stark disparities in who is able to work from home. An estimated 700,000 North Carolinians with household incomes over  $100,000 lived in a household where someone was working remotely, or nearly half of the people in that high income group. On the other end, only 8 percent, or roughly 125,000,people living with household incomes under $35,000 could say the same.

Solving the digital divide is not the only barrier that needs to be addressed. As we discuss in a recent report, other barriers like lack of child care, transportation, and safe workspaces make it hard for many lower-income North Carolinians to stay connected to the labor force. That said, COVID-19 make remote work a key avenue to making it through the pandemic and will almost certainly leave the ability to work from home a more pressing economic imperative even when this crisis has passed.