The Big Risk of Tulsa Remote
First things first.
I'm not writing this out of anger or frustration.
I'm glad we moved to Tulsa as part of Tulsa Remote. We're into our fourth year now with no regrets. We've made friends, enjoyed amazing music, had wonderful unexpected experiences, and have both fully integrated into a Tulsa-based life.
We have nothing but love and respect for the TR program and staff. I've been an enthusiastic spokesperson at in-person events and in feature stories published by national publications.
But we've also fallen victim to the biggest risk of Tulsa Remote.
And we've watched other TR alumni be impacted by it as well. I haven't seen it formally addressed anywhere, so I wanted to write this article as a warning to people considering a move to Tulsa with Tulsa Remote.
You deserve to see the full picture.
The biggest risk of Tulsa Remote is being accepted into the program, moving to Tulsa, then losing that remote job.
That's what happened to me. About a year after moving to Tulsa, my employer was acquired by a very large company (250K employees) headquartered in India.
It took a while to play out but the end of 2024 they made it official - after four years, my remote job as the Head of Content was no longer.
As I worked through that frustration and began a job search, three things became abundantly clear.
1. Fewer Remote Jobs
The number of fully remote job listings had dropped. In 2022 (when we were accepted into TR) about 27% of job listings offered a fully-remote option. In 2025, that had dropped to somewhere between 16% and 4% (reports vary).
Now mix in being a late-career job seeker (i.e., "old") in a creative field (writing, editing, and publishing) being eaten alive by AI, and not only were there fewer jobs to apply to, the response rates were almost zero.
Which led to the second realization.
2. Tulsa's Pay Scales Kinda Suck
When the remote job goes away and can't be replaced, you naturally end up looking at the local job market.
And find that the salary ranges for local, in-office jobs in Tulsa pay 20-40% less than the national average.
This is the downside of the "low cost of living" upside that helps Tulsa Remote be successful.
You can live a lush Tulsa life when you are earning a West Coast paycheck. People that couldn't afford to rent a decent apartment or buy a house in California can do that in Tulsa.
But can you maintain that lush life on 30% less income?
In my case, MsBoyink was working as a nurse. I didn't like the idea of taking such a large hit to my salary, but between our two salaries we'd be fine.
So I started applying to local Tulsa jobs.
And then learned the third thing.
3. You're a Flight Risk
To a hiring manager looking to fill a local, in-office job, you are viewed as someone who only moved to Tulsa "just to get that sweet $10K."
Now that the money is gone, what's keeping you here?
You've already shown that you can be bribed to pack your life up and move somewhere new. What's to prevent you from doing it again?
And some TR people do just that. They live their year in Tulsa, then, being location-independent, pack up and move to another city or country. As a former digital nomad, I get it.
But most stay past the year and past the stipend. They buy houses, make local friends, join local groups, clubs, and organizations.
Still, I sensed hesitation in interviews. It manifested as questions around my "plans for the future."
I had several local interviews, and while I never got specific reasons why I wasn't hired, I suspect they included:
- A salary requirement that the Tulsa market couldn't support
- Not being a native/local Tulsan
- Not being seen as a permanent resident of Tulsa
- My age
Job Search and Volunteering
Ultimately my job search took 14 months. During that time I pursued two paths: finding another full time job and starting up a freelance business.
On the business side, I found a few freelance editing projects, attended a business incubator program, and went to a lot of networking events.
On the full time job side, I found some local employment resources and groups, but my interviews all came from postings on Indeed.
Overall, the hardest part of my extended job search was the burden it took on my sense of self-worth.
After months of putting on a brave face, refining my resume, and practicing-interviewing only to hear "sorry, not interested" I legit started to think maybe I wasn't needed any more.
I actually applied to be a bus driver.
And got turned down for that too.
My saving grace was volunteering. I spent a lot of time at The Church Studio, where I'd already been volunteering as a docent. I could sit in the lounge, drink the coffee, be around encouraging people, and apply for jobs.
And if guests came in wanting a tour, I could jump up and do that.
I could be useful.
The staff would always thank me for my time. And I'm not sure they ever really understood - I was getting so much more than I was giving.
The Job Offer
Ultimately in February of 2026 I was offered and accepted a local, in office job as the Managing Editor of a monthly magazine for a local non-profit.
My background and experience was a perfect fit for the role. The magazine targets the 50 and older crowd so my age and late-career status are relevant. My volunteer work at The Church Studio created a connection and reference for the CEO to check.
Just a few months in, along with making the publishing process more efficient (to the point of being ready a day early for press,) we also redesigned the 15-year-old masthead, clarified the brand, and launched a new website. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our advertisers, readers, and writers.
I've gotten used to going into the office every day, and MsBoyink took a role within the same company. She now works a normal weekday schedule so we are commuting together and have our weekends together again.
So it's been a good move all-around.
And the job pays a fair wage.
For Tulsa.
It's not what I made as a remote worker in the technology industry for a company headquartered in Connecticut.
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