The longest-commuting workers or super-commuters, 90-minutes or more in each direction, increased +45% between 2010-2019. Who knows how many more or less super-commuters there will be in our existing and/or post-pandemic world?
Super-Commuters Increased in Last Decade
Workers commuting 90-minutes or more in each stand-alone direction between home and work increased +45% from 2010 – 2019 despite the US work force increasing by only 13% during this time period, according to a study by ApartmentList.
This ApartmentList study determined that 4.6M workers, or 3.1% of all workers, belonged to this group of super-commuters.
Distance from Work Not Defining Factor of Long Commute Times
Distance from workt home and back again was not the primary factor in causing super-commutes. ApartmentList found that some 50% of super-commuters, in fact, lived only 30 mils from work.
Also, drive-time was not a primary factor in causing super-commutes. Turns out that riders using public transportation systems were five times more likely to be super-commuters than drivers. Could it be that traffic and deficient public transit service and infrastructure were the primary culprits?
True, the 2020 pandemic took a lot of workers off the road and out of public transit seats but what will happen in the future now that many workers have left urban centers to live in suburbs and exurbs. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, how will remote workers who will not be commuting to and fro home and work affect our traffic, ridership, roads and transit systems?
Satellite Cities of Nation’s Largest Metros Account for Largest Share of Super-Commuters
New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco stand out as the largest metros, via their satellite cities, accounting for approximately 33% of super-commuters.
Top 10 Super-Commuter Metros, according to ApartmentList:
Super-Commuter Super-Commuter
Share of Workers Growth 2010-2019
- Stockton CA 11.7% +133%
- Modesto CA 9.6% +97%
- Poughkeepsie NY 8.5% +23%
- Bridgeport CT 7.6% +82%
- Riverside CA 7.4% +49%
- Washington DC 4.8% +29%
- Allentown PA 4.4% +26%
- Santa Rosa CA 4.3% +12%
- San Jose CA 3.8% +250%
- Manchester NH 3.7% +43%
Thanks to ApartmentList and The New York Times.
