The number of U.S. digital nomads grew from 7.3 million in 2019 to 10.9 million in 2020, a 49% increase.
This data comes from COVID-19 and the Rise of the Digital Nomad, which is the report on the third year of an ongoing research series on digital nomads conducted by MBO Partners.
Emergent Research (that's us) works with MBO Partners on these studies.
The increase is driven by the unleashing of traditional employees due to the shift to work from anywhere policies caused by the pandemic.
As the report chart below shows, the number of digital nomads with traditional jobs roughly doubled from 2019 to 2020.
Over the same timeframe, the number of independent workers reporting they are digital nomads increased by a relatively modest 12%.
Independent workers had substantially more location freedom than traditional employees prior to the pandemic, so the impact of COVID-19 on where they worked was much less pronounced.
COVID-19 has also changed what it means to be a digital nomad. Key quote from the report:
International flight and travel restrictions have made it harder to travel abroad, while health and healthcare concerns have also made travel less attractive. Because of this, only 1 out of 4 (24 percent) American digital nomads said they plan to travel internationally over the next year.
Instead, a resounding majority (76 percent) of American digital nomads are exploring the U.S. Most (52 percent) are also reporting they plan on visiting fewer locations but spending more time at each stop, which is consistent with trends in the travel industry as a whole. Relatedly, 41 percent report they are spending less time traveling. And 40 percent report that, while they are traveling, they tend to stay closer to home to be near family and healthcare providers.
Going forward, we expect continued growth in the number of digital nomads. The shift to remote work and work from anywhere will allow more traditional employees to pursue their passion for travel.
We also expect digital nomads to return to international travel once the pandemic over. The interest in travel and experiencing new places and cultures is simply too strong for this not to happen.
We'll have more on digital nomads and the findings from this study in the near future.
