More Communities Across the U.S. Offering Incentives for People to Relocate

Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 -- 10:00 AM

(By Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) If you pay them, will they come? 

According to Sarah Lehr with Wisconsin Public Radio, local leaders across the country are asking that question, as communities turn to incentive programs in a bid to lure more residents and workers.

More than 70 communities in the U.S. are offering people at least $1,000 in cash or other incentives if they relocate, a new study from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found. And the majority, or 61 percent of those programs are based in the Midwest, according to the analysis which used data from MakeMyMove.com and other sources.

The Midwest may be a hub for such programs because certain pockets of the region are trying to reverse population loss, said the study's author, Mark Sommerhauser. Small and rural communities, in particular, may be feeling a pinch as more people flock to in-demand regions like the West Coast and Sunbelt.

Only two such incentive programs exist in Wisconsin, the study found. In 2021, Fond du Lac County began offering businesses matching funds, so that workers could get bonuses of up to $15,000 if they relocated to the county.

As of November, 15 employees had taken advantage of the program, the study said, although the county isn't currently accepting new applications. Farther north, the city of Merrill is dealing with a housing crunch by offering new and current residents $10,000 to offset the costs of building a single-family home.

And, in Milwaukee, city officials have studied whether cash payments and other perks could help bring remote workers to southeast Wisconsin. A new program in Fond du Lac will pay people who move there to work as much as $15,000.

It's an innovative effort to address workforce shortages, which economic development officials call the single biggest challenge for local businesses.

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