St. Cloud, Minnesota Hot Spots for Telecommuting

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - As two high-profile companies pull back from work-at-home options, Minnesota emerges as one of the leading states for telecommuting.

The U.S. Census Bureau's commuting survey shows the Twin Cities had the fifth largest increase among metro areas nationwide in the number of telecommuters. The number of people working from home rose by about 22,000 to 82,500 between 2000 and 2010.

Minnesota is also the only state with two big job centers, Mankato and St. Cloud, among the top 10 metro areas nationally in the number of people working from home. The Census Bureau noted an association with telecommuting college towns, such as Mankato and St. Cloud.

Best Buy and Yahoo are among companies that have recently stepped back from telecommuting programs.