Pay-transparency states · CA · CO · NY · WA · IL
Remote jobs in the USA.
The US is the largest remote-job market in the corpus and increasingly the most pay-transparent — driven by state-level law rather than federal rule. Every listing here is scored against the same public Real Remote Score rubric we apply globally, with state-level transparency expectations treated as a first-class signal in the compensation pillar.
The data
USA remote market — what the corpus shows.
8,896
total active listings audited
Across the global corpus. Roughly 41% are marked addressable for USA (worldwide listings + named USA country specifications).
$210,000
median compensation (disclosed)
Across listings that disclose a salary range. US-only listings disclose at higher rates than the global corpus due to state-level pay-transparency law (California SB 1162, Colorado EPEWA, New York City Pay Transparency, Washington SHB 1795, Illinois IL HB 3129).
≥ 3-hour band
timezone spread for USA-eligible roles
US-wide remote roles typically spec a 3-hour overlap window — usually a "core hours" 10am-3pm Eastern, which lets Pacific Coast hires start at 7am and East-Coast hires finish by 6pm.
What "USA remote" actually means.
Three flavours of "USA remote" travel under one label, and the answers to "who can apply" and "from where can I work" depend on which one you're looking at.
US-only
Hire-anywhere within the US. Some employers add "no Hawaii" or "lower 48 only" for tax reasons. Most use W-2 employment via a national entity or PEO; some use 1099 contractor framing.
US + Canada
Cross-border, popular among tech employers. Either via separate entities, EOR (Deel, Remote, Oyster), or contractor in Canada. Tax obligations differ; the audit doesn't score this distinction.
Continental US
Common phrasing, generally synonymous with "lower 48". Excludes Alaska, Hawaii, US territories. Worth verifying if you're in any of those locations.
State-restricted
Some employers exclude specific states (often CO, CA, NY, WA, IL) — usually because of compliance requirements those states impose. Read the listing carefully; the Location pillar deducts when an "all of US" listing has hidden state exclusions.
Audit-aware reading
The Real Remote Score, applied to USA listings.
The five-pillar rubric scores every listing on the same axes regardless of region — but the practical meaning of each pillar shifts at the regional level. What to read into each dimension if you're scanning USA listings:
Compensation transparency (25 pts)
For US listings, compensation pillar credit aligns roughly with multi-state pay-transparency compliance. Listings that disclose a numeric range publicly are CA / CO / NY / WA / IL compliant; those that don't are exposed for roles that touch those states.
Location openness (25 pts)
"Worldwide" scores 25; "US-only" scores 8 (single-country); state-specific scores 4. Highest US-only scores come from listings that explicitly say which states they will and won't hire from — concrete beats vague.
Source credibility (15 pts)
US employers using Greenhouse / Lever / Ashby / Workable score the same as anyone else. The Direct ATS bucket includes the major names you see when you click through.
Role clarity (15 pts)
US listings tend to have stack tags and seniority words clearly labelled — clarity scores well in the corpus. Watch for the "Senior IC" abbreviation patterns and "L-level" (Google, Meta, Amazon) ladder references that don't mean the same thing across employers.
Freshness (20 pts)
US hiring slows in late November (Thanksgiving) and late December (winter break) — and accelerates after the new year. Freshness scores in those windows reflect the cycle, not employer signal.
FAQ
USA remote — common questions.
Do US-only roles take international applicants?
Almost never as W-2 employees. Most "US-only" remote roles require US work authorisation (citizen, GC holder, or visa-eligible). Some accept international contractors but those are usually labelled differently (e.g., "global contractor"). Read the listing carefully and clarify in the first conversation.
Which states require salary in the listing?
California (SB 1162), Colorado (EPEWA), New York City (Pay Transparency Law), Washington State (SHB 1795), Illinois (HB 3129), and increasingly others. The Compensation pillar of the Real Remote Score is, in effect, a public read of compliance with these laws — it scores listings on whether they publish a numeric range.
Why do some "US-only" listings exclude my state?
Usually because the employer hasn't set up the operational compliance to hire in that state — pay-transparency law, paid sick leave, paid family leave, and unemployment insurance vary state-by-state. A clear "we hire in X states only" listing scores higher on the audit than a vague "US-eligible" that turns into a state exclusion at offer stage.
Are there H-1B or other visa-sponsoring remote roles?
Yes, but they're a small fraction. The audit doesn't score visa-sponsorship language separately, but the Role Clarity pillar gives credit when sponsorship is named explicitly in the listing. If sponsorship matters to you, search the listing for "visa", "sponsorship", "TN" (Canadian / Mexican professionals), or "H-1B".