The “Amenity Migration” Effect: How to Retain Employees Who Moved to WNC for the Lifestyle
A 2025 study in Rural Sociology examined what happens to rural communities when waves of lifestyle-driven in-migrants arrive, drawn by natural amenities and, increasingly, the flexibility of remote work. Researchers found that post-COVID amenity migration has intensified pressure on housing affordability, deepened cultural divides between longtime residents and newcomers, and strained the social fabric that makes small towns worth moving to in the first place. We know this story all too well here in WNC. The same forces pulling talented people to Asheville and the surrounding mountains (the trails, the sense of place, the pace of life) are the forces making it harder for employers to retain them once they arrive. Because, when lifestyle is the draw, keeping employees engaged means understanding that their relationship is with the place first, and the job second.
Amenity migrants choose geography first, then find or accept work. They are drawn by outdoor recreation, cultural richness, climate, community character, or lower density. Just think about every time you’ve gone on vacation and thought to yourself “Should I move here?”; these people answer “yes” and then pack their bags. This trend predates COVID, but the pandemic definitely threw gasoline on this fire. Rural counties near Asheville, including McDowell and Rutherford, saw some of the largest domestic migration gains in the country in recent years, driven by access to mountain trails, lakes, and state parks. Believe it or not, the Richmond Fed found that 8 out of the top 10 rural counties for domestic migration gains were clustered right here, near Asheville (ehem…traffic on 26 starting to make sense?), which tells you something about how powerfully this region calls to people. The mechanism is no mystery, right? Remote work pulled demand forward in lifestyle markets like WNC and it hasn’t gone back in the box. 13.8% of U.S. workers were regularly working from home in 2023. That’s more than double pre-pandemic levels. We’ve become one of the premier “Zoom towns” for remote workers to live in outdoor bliss while maintaining big-city careers. When Patrick Harrington moved here from just outside of San Francisco, he told me that he and his wife chose Asheville because “it provided some big city amenities in a smaller package with like-minded people We were attracted to the restaurant scene, interesting neighborhoods like West AVL and the RAD and we liked the access to WNC mountains".
Where people flood in, costs follow! According to HUD data, Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom in the Asheville area jumped from $799 in 2019 to $1,496 in 2024. That’s a whopping 87% increase. If you’re a small business owner, I’m sure you’ve felt that pressure when it comes to paying your employees a living wage in an increasingly expensive town. According to Just Economics of WNC, that widening gap between what incoming remote workers can comfortably afford and what local workers actually earn is exactly the dynamic the Rural Sociology research flagged for us: amenity migration doesn’t just raise prices, it quietly reshapes who can stay.
That is where you come in, WNC business owner! Here’s the thing about amenity migration: you don’t have to out-pay Seattle. You can’t, and trying will break you. What you can do is out-connect them. The people who moved to WNC for the lifestyle didn’t come here for a ping-pong table and a 401k match (although those are great). They came because they wanted to belong somewhere. When Lindsay Ward of Raleigh, NC recently made a move she said “When I moved I didn’t really know anyone and found that working remotely was lonely. I sought out a hybrid role and now get a lot of social satisfaction and motivation from working alongside my peers. It keeps our whole team more in the loop. Plus, I like to yap casually at work and that’s hard to do if I’m alone in my guest bedroom”. This is great news for you, small business owner, because belonging is something you can create without a massive HR budget. Flexible scheduling so someone can catch a Tuesday morning trail run when the weather is nice, connections with local music venues to get your employees some perks, designated “adventure PTO” days or “community service PTO” days to give employees time to do what they love, and team social events that people actually want to attend: these things sound small, but they land differently here than they do in a corporate environment because amenity migrants are here to connect to place and people. When you reflect that choice back to them, you become part of the reason they stay. The key here is to get to know your employees, learn why they’re here, and set them up for the lifestyle they expected.
That said, let’s be honest about the financial reality. If someone is working for you full-time and can’t afford a one-bedroom apartment in Buncombe County on what you’re paying them, flexibility and community aren’t going to be enough. The good news is that wages don’t have to jump overnight, but they do have to move. Even modest, consistent raises signal something powerful: I see you, and I’m trying. So does helping employees navigate resources they might not know exist. Think housing assistance programs, local food banks, worker support organizations. Being the employer who says “here’s what’s available to you” builds more loyalty than “you’re smart, you’ll figure it out”. Your employees are navigating the same rising costs that you are. When they feel like you’re on the same team, they tend to stick around.
So what could this look like day-to-day? Here are a few initial things worth trying, even on a tight budget:
Consider a transparent wage review calendar. That can be as simple as telling your team “We sit down in March and look at wages together.” That predictability alone reduces anxiety. Obviously, the next step is to actually have that sit-down in March and then transparently report out your decision-making process to your team.
Look into whether you can get certified through Just Economics of WNC’s Living Wage Program. Over 440 local employers have done it and it’s become a genuine hiring signal in this community.
Take a hard look at how you are (or aren’t) facilitating connection within your team. I know you have a lot on your plate running a small business, but slowing down to create connection will go a long way. That first beautiful spring day of the year? Let’s ditch the office and have an al fresco meeting. Lots of employees new to the area? Let’s spend a day exploring some iconic local spots to help them connect to their new home. Let’s move beyond the old school happy hour and get a little more real with people.
If you can’t raise base pay right now, think creatively about non-cash benefits like extra PTO (the biggest hitter here), flexible Fridays (better yet, no Fridays!), covering a gym membership, or reaching out to local businesses to create a reciprocal discount program for your employees.
Create a real path forward. One of the biggest reasons people quietly start looking elsewhere is because they can’t see where they’re going. An intentional conversation with each employee about growth, skills, and future roles can change that entirely.
These things don’t require bookoo bucks. They do require showing up consistently, being straight with people, and making sure your team knows that their ability to have a life of meaning here matters to you just as much as their ability to show to work on Monday. If you’re navigating retention issues right now, let’s have a chat about what you could implement right now to see some improvement. Just hit that “Book Now” button at the top of the page.
Sources
Theophilus, A. et al. (2025). “Amenity Migration and Community Wellbeing in Washington’s Kittitas County Post-COVID-19 Pandemic.” Rural Sociology, 90(1), 3-22.
Marshall and Tompkins. “Have Some Rural Areas Tuned the Tide on Population Decline?” Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, April 30,2024. https://www.richmondfed.org/region_communities/regional_data_analysis/regional_matters/2024/rm_04_30_24_rural_areas_population_decline
Brooks. “Why Asheville and Western North Carolina Are Poised for Long-Term Real Estate Growth.” ENRG Global Realty, January 9,2026. https://www.enrgasheville.com/2026/01/09/why-asheville-western-north-carolina-are-poised-for-long-term-real-estate-growth-2026/
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Fair Market Rents Documentation System: Asheville, NC.” https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html