Issue #015 | Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | thecolivinginsider.com

There are 18 million digital nomads in the U.S. right now, they earn a median income of $85,000, and most operators are housing them wrong.

Digital nomads and remote workers are fully location-independent professionals who have decoupled where they earn from where they live. They are not on vacation. They are not between jobs. They are working professionals — software developers, marketers, consultants, designers, financial analysts — who have removed geography from their employment equation and are now making deliberate choices about where to live, and for how long.

Think of it this way: most workers are plugged into a wall outlet — they need to be in one place for their career to function. Digital nomads cut the cord. The income still flows, the work still happens, but location becomes a variable they control.

The numbers are worth understanding. There are 18.1 million digital nomads in the U.S. as of 2025, up 147% since 2019. The average age is 36 — not the 22-year-old in a hammock the stereotype suggests. Millennials make up 40% of the group; Gen Z another 35%. Average reported income is $124,000; median is $85,000. Ninety-one percent hold higher education credentials. This is not a guest who cannot afford better. This is a guest making a calculated lifestyle decision — and co-living is the answer to a housing problem that traditional rentals cannot solve.

The typical stay runs 1 to 6 months, and a trend worth watching is the shift toward longer stays per location. In 2025, the average digital nomad spends 6.4 weeks at each stop, up from 5.4 weeks in 2023. The community calls this "slow-mading." For operators, it means your average tenancy with this guest type is extending on its own — moving toward a window that improves your economics without you having to do anything differently.

Digital nomad demand follows urban infrastructure, not employment anchors.

Unlike workforce guests who need proximity to an employer, or travel nurses who need proximity to a hospital, this guest needs proximity to the city itself — its walkability, its broadband, its professional culture, and its community of people living and working the same way.

The top U.S. markets in 2025 include Miami, Austin, Atlanta, Denver, Raleigh, Nashville, Chicago, and Portland. These cities share common traits: walkable neighborhoods, strong broadband infrastructure, active coworking ecosystems, and established professional communities that attract and retain remote workers. Secondary markets — Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tucson — are emerging strongly as lower-cost alternatives with the same infrastructure profile and significantly better operator economics.

Within any market, location matters more than the market itself. This guest is almost certainly not bringing a car. They need grocery stores, coffee shops, gyms, and transit stops accessible on foot or by bike. Neighborhoods 15 to 20 minutes from a city center — adjacent to downtown but not in it — typically offer the best price-to-walkability ratio and the most favorable acquisition economics for operators.

The single most important physical property attribute for this guest type is internet infrastructure at the address level. Fiber-served addresses have a structural advantage. This is not something you can fix post-purchase — verify ISP availability and confirmed speeds before acquiring a property you plan to target at this segment.

→ Fast, reliable internet — and you need to prove it. Internet is not an amenity for this guest. It is infrastructure. Nearly 90% say a lack of high-speed WiFi disqualifies a property outright. The competitive standard is 100 Mbps symmetrical or better. Five hundred Mbps with a wired ethernet option in rooms is a genuine differentiator. Bandwidth must hold under load — multiple simultaneous video calls is a real scenario, not a hypothetical. Operators who advertise verified speeds with a third-party speed test screenshot close faster and command higher rates. "High-speed WiFi" in a listing description is meaningless to this guest. A screenshot showing 487 Mbps down is not.

→ A purpose-built workspace in the bedroom. Sixty-two percent of digital nomads say a proper desk, ergonomic chair, and appropriate lighting is a must for stays longer than two weeks. A kitchen table does not qualify. This guest is working full business days from this room. The minimum standard: a desk at least 48 inches wide, a chair with lumbar support, task lighting that doesn't create glare on a screen, and four or more outlets at desk level. A monitor riser is a low-cost addition that signals an operator who understands this guest.

→ Flexible lease terms. A 12-month lease is functionally incompatible with this lifestyle. Month-to-month or defined short-term agreements with extension options are the correct structure. The sweet spot is a 2-to-4-month initial term with a monthly extension option. The minimum viable stay for operator economics is 30 days — below that you are competing with hotels at worse unit economics.

→ Move-in ready and fully furnished. This guest arrives with a carry-on and a laptop bag. The bar is "I can unpack my bag and start working within an hour of arrival." Quality mattress, real desk setup, full kitchen equipment, linens and towels included. A coffee maker is a small touch that lands disproportionately well.

→ A kitchen worth using. Two out of three digital nomads consider kitchen access essential — it is a budget and health decision for someone staying 60 to 120 days. A well-equipped, clean, organized shared kitchen is a genuine competitive advantage. The state of your kitchen also signals the quality of your management. A neglected kitchen is the most visible sign of an under-managed property.

Digital nomads actively value a household of like-minded working professionals.

Income reliability is strong. A guest earning $85,000 to $124,000 annually with a remote-first employment arrangement is a low financial risk. Payment is reliable. Income verification is straightforward. The risk profile is comparable to young professionals but with longer average stay potential.

They are low-friction tenants. Digital nomads work from your property, which means they have a strong interest in it functioning well. They are not absentee guests who stop caring once they have moved in. A noisy housemate, a broken appliance, or a slow maintenance response affects their ability to work — so they communicate issues quickly and specifically, which is exactly the feedback an operator needs to stay ahead of problems.

The slow-mading trend is extending tenancy in your favor. Average stay length for this guest type has grown from 5.4 weeks in 2023 to 6.4 weeks in 2025. The direction of travel is toward longer stays, which reduces your turnover frequency and improves occupancy economics without requiring a change to your lease structure.

Community curation is a competitive moat. Digital nomads actively value a household of like-minded working professionals. An operator who curates the guest mix intentionally — keeping the house populated with remote workers and similarly mobile professionals — creates a self-reinforcing community that generates referrals and repeat bookings. A guest who had a great community experience will actively send their network to you when those people are looking for a base in your city.

Premium pricing is achievable. This guest will pay $1,200 to $2,200 per month for a private furnished bedroom in a well-managed property in the right market. The premium is justified by verified internet, a legitimate workspace, and a professionally managed environment — and this guest understands that. They are not looking for the cheapest room. They are looking for the room that supports their work without friction.

A household of digital nomads on simultaneous 10 AM video calls is a legitimate operational scenario.

Turnover is frequent by design. The median stay of 6 to 8 weeks means this guest turns over faster than workforce or travel nurse guests. Operators who are not set up for fast, low-friction turnover — cleaning, minor touch-ups, and relisting — will spend a disproportionate amount of revenue on vacancy gaps. The economics require operational efficiency.

The workspace and internet bar is non-negotiable and costly to miss. If your property does not genuinely deliver on the workspace and connectivity requirements, this guest will leave a specific, detailed, public review explaining exactly what was wrong. Unlike a guest who quietly leaves at lease end, a digital nomad who was promised fast internet and received slow internet will tell their entire online community. The standard is achievable — but it has to be real, not marketed.

They work during business hours from your property. Kitchen use, noise sensitivity, and bandwidth consumption peak during the same hours. A household of digital nomads on simultaneous 10 AM video calls is a legitimate operational scenario. House rules and infrastructure need to account for this specifically.

The market is becoming more competitive. The 147% growth in this guest type since 2019 has attracted institutional and professional co-living operators to the segment. A well-run independent property with genuine infrastructure quality can compete — but operators who rely on average product at above-average prices will find this guest increasingly has better options.

Who should pursue this guest type: Operators in walkable urban neighborhoods in markets with established remote work communities. Operators with fiber-served addresses who can deliver verified 100 Mbps or better. Operators willing to invest in a genuine dedicated workspace in every bedroom and who can deliver all-inclusive pricing in the $1,200 to $2,200 range.

Who should be cautious: Operators in suburban or car-dependent locations without walkable commercial access. Operators at addresses where fast internet is not available or cannot be verified. Operators whose properties cannot accommodate a real desk and workspace in each bedroom — a nightstand laptop setup will not retain this guest past the first week.

The bottom line: Digital nomads are a high-income, low-drama, increasingly long-staying guest type in a market growing at double digits annually. The slow-mading trend is extending average tenancy on its own. The premium pricing ceiling is real and achievable. The catch is that the two non-negotiables — fast verified internet and a legitimate workspace — cannot be faked or marketed around. Operators who invest in those two things correctly are building a competitive position in a segment with structural tailwinds. Those who don't will find this guest is the most specific and vocal about why they left.

Next issue: Silver Living (55+) — the most financially stable, longest-staying, and most underserved guest type in co-living.

The Co-Living Insider | thecolivinginsider.com | Issue #015 | Wednesday, May 27, 2026