After years of widespread remote and hybrid work, the pendulum is swinging back to the office. In 2025, only 6% of U.S. job postings were fully remote, according to JobLeads' latest data.
In-office job postings have surged 21% since 2023, when roughly two-thirds of roles were on-site. JobLeads' analysis of over 5 million postings and a survey of 426,000 workers found that 87% of new jobs now require on-site attendance, reflecting tighter return-to-office policies at major corporations. Meanwhile, hybrid work — once the compromise model of choice — has dropped sharply, now representing just 7% of openings nationwide.
Top companies, including Dell, Amazon, Walmart, JPMorgan, Google and Uber, set the tone in 2025, tightening RTO policies to prioritize collaboration, culture and mentoring.
Remote opportunities vary widely across the country, often reflecting local industry, infrastructure and workforce trends. Oregon leads with 10% of roles fully remote, driven by Portland's "Silicon Forest," a cluster of tech companies supporting digital-first roles. Census data from 2023 show nearly 18% of Oregonians worked from home — the second highest in the country after Colorado (20%) — underscoring a strong culture of flexible work in tech and knowledge-based sectors.
The District of Columbia tops hybrid offerings at 18%, likely reflecting a mix of government, consulting and professional services jobs that require some on-site collaboration but can still leverage remote flexibility.
At the other end of the spectrum, states such as Mississippi, West Virginia and South Carolina have roughly 94% of roles fully on-site — 7% higher than the national average. These states have economies dominated by hands-on industries such as manufacturing, logistics and local services, where physical presence is essential, said the report.
City-level trends reveal some surprises. Detroit leads the nation in fully remote roles at 8%, even surpassing traditional tech hubs like San Francisco (6%), Chicago (6%) and New York (4%). This is part of Detroit's ongoing economic reboot with local professionals increasingly working for out-of-state employers, and the city's growing startup scene actively targeting remote talent. Conversely, San Antonio is the most office-bound city at 92% on-site, reflecting its concentration of manufacturing, healthcare and government roles. San Francisco remains the leader in hybrid positions at 18%, supported by its tech and professional services sectors, which favor a blended model of collaboration and remote flexibility.
New York offers just 4% of roles as fully remote, making it one of the least remote-friendly cities in the country. This represents a shift from 2023, when only a minority of office workers in Manhattan reported being in the office five days a week. The city's sector mix helps explain the trend with finance, law, media and real estate dominating New York's economy. These industries have been among the most aggressive in bringing employees back to their desks.
Remote and hybrid work remain more common in white-collar sectors. Consulting (14% remote, 18% hybrid), finance, IT, legal, and marketing & media all exceed national averages, with roughly one in four roles offering flexibility. Hands-on sectors, including bio-pharma, health, engineering, operations, sales and HR, remain heavily office-based, with 80–92% of positions on-site.
In addition, remote work skews toward mid-career, mid-salary brackets. Roles paying $125,000–$150,000 offer the most remote options, while frontline positions under $60,000 provide just 3%. At the top end — $250,000 and up — remote roles drop to 4% and hybrid to 9%, showing that executives and high earners are still largely office-bound, JobLeads said.
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