I think the trick is, you need to live in a larger metro area for awhile and establish yourself before you're seen as a viable remote candidate by most employers. That, or start your own busienss.

Smaller areas typically lack competitive tech positions and larger areas don't want to take a risk on you when they have a pool of warm bodies to choose from.

> they have a pool of warm bodies to choose from

Remote work wouldn't be possible in general if this were true. Hiring, especially for senior level engineering talent, remains hard and expensive