Commuting to work by automobile is a part of the day by day routine for a lot of Individuals. We on the MarketWatch Guides crew needed to make clear the expertise of commuting within the U.S., from common prices to the emotional and bodily toll it takes.
Drawing on information from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Neighborhood Survey (ACS) and insights from our December 2023 survey of 1,008 automobile commuters, we spotlight common commute occasions, the price of commuting and folks’s shifting preferences towards extra sustainable choices. On this article, we discover Individuals’ commuting challenges and the modifications they’re contemplating to enhance their commute.
For commuters, the proper automobile insurance coverage is essential. Discover the perfect automobile insurance coverage choices to make sure your automobile is protected as you make your day by day drive.
Key Findings
- One in 5 commuters has been in a minimum of one accident commuting to or from work.
- The cities which have the most automobile commuters within the U.S. per 1,000 staff are Dothan, Ala., Beaumont, Texas, and Sioux Metropolis, Iowa.
- The cities which have the longest common commute occasions within the U.S. are Palmdale, Calif., Tracy, Calif., and Waldorf, Md.
- The cities which have the shortest common commute occasions within the U.S. are Champaign, Sick., Cheyenne, Wyo., and Jacksonville, N.C.
Variety of Commuters within the U.S.
America has a variety of commuting patterns, and these will be influenced by elements corresponding to metropolis planning, public transportation methods and native commuting cultures. Based on the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS, automobile commuting was notably excessive in Dothan, Ala., Beaumont, Texas, and Sioux Metropolis, Iowa. The information exhibits these places had probably the most automobile commuters per 1,000 staff.
Within the prime 18 cities, a minimum of 90% of the employees who participated within the 2022 ACS mentioned they use vehicles to get to work, exhibiting a big dependence on private autos for many of the workforce in these areas.
The ACS reported that the cities with the fewest automobile commuters per 1,000 staff had been:
- Cambridge, Mass.: 246
- New York Metropolis: 264
- Berkeley, Calif.: 300
- Jersey Metropolis, N.J.: 316
- Washington, D.C.: 322
In December 2023, our crew performed a survey of 1,008 automobile commuters throughout the U.S. These outcomes confirmed that the common commute was about 12 miles, with 50% of those drives happening on primarily residential roads. Commuters additionally reported a median of six purple lights on their journeys to work.
America’s Commute Instances
Let’s give attention to the cities experiencing probably the most important fluctuations in commute occasions, in response to the ACS. We’ll study cities the place the common commute time has elevated significantly since 2017, and people the place it has notably decreased.
ACS information exhibits that in 2022, Palmdale, Calif., Tracy, Calif., and Waldorf, Md. had the longest common commute occasions within the nation. Every was over 43 minutes lengthy — practically twice the nationwide common of 26 minutes. Conversely, Champaign, Sick., Cheyenne, Wyo., and Jacksonville, N.C., had the shortest common commute occasions at quarter-hour or shorter.
Commuting impacts extra than simply day by day schedules — it could actually additionally impression automobile insurance coverage premiums. Insurers cost increased prices on common to those that drive extra, because of the increased threat of accidents and automobile put on. Some cities have seen important modifications in common commute occasions, which might result in total increased premiums for residents in these areas.
These are the cities with the most important commute time will increase since 2017, in response to ASC information:
- Tracy, Calif.: +22.3 minutes
- Palmdale, Calif.: +21.1 minutes
- Philadelphia: +17.5 minutes
- New York Metropolis: +16.7 minutes
- Jersey Metropolis, N.J.: +15.8 minutes
- Joliet, Sick.: +15.5 minutes
- Waldorf, Md.: +15.4 minutes
- Poinciana, Fla.: +quarter-hour
- Garland, Texas: +14.6 minutes
- Atascocita, Texas: +14.6 minutes
These are the cities with the most important commute time decreases since 2017:
- Indio, Calif.: -20.7 minutes
- Merced, Calif.: -19.3 minutes
- Arden-Arcade, Calif.: -19.1 minutes
- Jacksonville, N.C.: -18.3 minutes
- Kennewick, Wash.: -15.9 minutes
- Lawrence, Mass.: -15.7 minutes
- Redding, Calif.: -15.7 minutes
- Torrance, Calif.: -15.6 minutes
- Corpus Christi, Texas: -15.2 minutes
- Lake Forest, Calif.: -14.9 minutes
Commuting occasions can change resulting from city sprawl, shifting employment patterns, transportation infrastructure modifications and total inhabitants.
Surveying Commuters on Commute Stress
Commuting isn’t at all times so simple as getting from level A to level B. Many Individuals work common hours (Monday by means of Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and are on the roads on the similar time. This causes site visitors congestion, which might result in an extended commute and will make commuters late for work. This is only one method that commuting can result in stress.
In reality, practically two-thirds (63%) of the commuters in our survey reported feeling burdened resulting from their commute, and virtually three-quarters (72%) skilled annoyance throughout their day by day travels, illuminating the emotional toll commuting takes on Individuals.
Commuters who confronted over 10 minutes of extra journey time resulting from site visitors reported increased ranges of anger, annoyance and stress than those that encountered building on their route. One in 5 commuters has been concerned in a minimum of one automobile accident whereas commuting to or from work, highlighting the potential dangers related to day by day journey throughout high-traffic hours. Some commuters mentioned they ceaselessly encounter automobile accidents alongside their routes, with 26% passing an accident weekly and 25% witnessing one month-to-month.
We additionally discovered a possible generational distinction in commute security: practically one in 4 Gen X people (these born between 1965 and 1980) have been in a automobile accident on their approach to work — the very best charge among the many generations we surveyed.
Along with posing well being and security dangers, commuting will be expensive. We decided commuters spend a median of $37.41 in gas prices every week. On prime of gas prices, automobile put on and tear prices can add up over time.
Most Individuals Surveyed Need Extra Gasoline-Environment friendly Automobiles
Whereas commuters can’t at all times change their day by day journey circumstances, the automobile they drive is an element extra inside their management. Practically 1 / 4 of commuters (23%) mentioned they’re contemplating a brand new automobile buy within the subsequent 12 months. What are these shoppers in search of in a automobile, and what else are commuters trying to change this 12 months?
Over half of the American commuters we polled (51%) mentioned they’d like a extra fuel-efficient automobile to enhance their commute. Many drivers, commuters and non-commuters alike, search environmentally pleasant vehicles as sustainable, cost-effective options for his or her day by day journey.
Based on our survey outcomes, commuters had been open to alternate options to conventional automobile commuting. Some (22%) contemplated transferring nearer to their office to shorten commute occasions, whereas 17% thought-about public transportation a viable possibility. Different respondents had been open to biking (15%) or strolling (14%) to work, reflecting an curiosity in more healthy and extra environmentally pleasant commuting strategies.
Reimagining the Commute
Our research has taken us by means of the monetary and emotional tolls related to commuting, from the prevalence of automobile commuting in sure cities to the challenges commuters face on their day by day drives. The rising curiosity in fuel-efficient autos and various modes of transport might point out a shift towards extra sustainable commuting practices. America’s commutes are evolving, pushed by a want to reduce prices and cut back environmental impression.
Methodology
We used the 2022 one-year estimates from the American Neighborhood Survey (ACS) by the U.S. Census Bureau for city-level commute information. We in contrast 2022 commute occasions in opposition to 2017 information to calculate change.
As well as, we surveyed 1,008 automobile commuters on December 18, 2023. The margin of error for this survey was +/- 3% at a 95% confidence stage. Amongst these respondents, 49% had been ladies, 50% had been males and 1% had been nonbinary or nonconforming. Moreover, 6% had been child boomers, 27% had been Gen X, 55% had been millennials and 12% had been Gen Z. Survey information is topic to particular constraints related to self-reporting.