- Average commute times vary for workers across the US.
- The US Census Bureau measured states' mean commute times from 2019 to 2023.
- Workers in New York State have the worst commute, at an average of 32.8 minutes.
While commuting may be a thing of the past for remote workers, it's still a daily task for the majority of Americans in the workforce.
According to a July 2024 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 73% of the workforce did some or all of their work from their workplace in 2023, compared to just 35% who did some or all of their work from home.
And with RTO mandates in place for major companies like Amazon, AT&T, and Starbucks, it seems commuting isn't disappearing anytime soon, despite some workers' protests.
But what state you work in can play a significant role in how long your commute will take, data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates shows.
The data was collected from 2019 to 2023 and included a section dedicated to learning more about participants' journeys to work, with questions relating to their workplace's location, how they traveled there, if they carpooled, what time they left for work, and how long it took to commute.
"Commuting patterns and characteristics are crucial to planning for improvements to road and highway infrastructure, developing transportation plans and services, and understanding where people are traveling in the course of a normal day," the report said.
So, whether you're eyeing a job in a new state or are curious about how your commute compares to those of your peers across the country, here's a look at the 10 worst states for commuters, based on longest average commute times.
10. Washington
Workers in Washington can expect to spend an average of 27 minutes commuting.
According to the survey, nearly 65% of workers drove alone for their commute via car, truck, or van, while 8.7% carpooled.
An additional 4% used public transit (excluding taxis), 3.1% walked, and 1.9% used another mode of transportation.
9. Virginia
Virginia workers spend an average of 27.6 minutes commuting.
Of the state's 4.31 million workers ages 16 and above, 2.98 million, or 69.2%, reported driving to work alone for their commute.
8. Florida
It takes workers in Florida an average of 28 minutes to commute.
Driving alone is the most popular method of transportation, as 72.1% of workers ages 16 and older reported doing so to get to work.
Meanwhile, 9% carpooled, 1.4% walked, and 1.2% used public transit (excluding taxis).
7. Illinois
Workers in Illinois have the seventh-longest average commute time at 28.1 minutes.
Like other states, driving alone was the preferred method of transit for 67.3% of commuters.
6. Georgia
In Georgia, the average commute time is 28.3 minutes.
Almost three-quarters of workers drove to work alone while 9% carpooled, 1.3% used public transit, 1.3% walked, and 1.8% used other means.
5. California
The average commute time in the "Golden State" is 29 minutes.
Of the 10 states with the longest commutes, California had the largest population of carpoolers, at 9.5%.
Meanwhile, 67.1% drove alone, 3.2% used public transit, 2.4% walked, and another 2.4% used alternate means.
4. Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the average commute time is 29.3 minutes.
More than 62% of workers drove alone, while 6.9% carpooled, 7% used public transit, 4.2% walked, and 2.5% used other means of travel.
3. New Jersey
The average commute time in the "Garden State" is 30.9 minutes.
Of the state's 4.5 million workers ages 16 and older, 2.9 million drove to work alone.
Public transit was the second most popular mode of transit, accounting for 387,422 commuters, or 8.5% of commuters.
2. Maryland
Marylanders spend an average of 31.5 minutes commuting.
Nearly three quarters of commuters drove or carpooled, while 4.9% used public transportation, 2% walked, and 1.9% used other methods.
1. New York
And finally, New York workers have the longest average commute in the country, at 32.8 minutes.
While nearly half of commuters drove alone, around 22% reported taking public transit, the highest percentage of any state. Meanwhile, 6.3% carpooled, 5.7% walked, and 2.6% used another form of transportation.
