Average commuting times can distort the picture of commuting in America. Are excessive commuting times really a problem for all?
According to data from the 2009 American Community Survey, 15.2% of U.S. workers 16 years and over who did not work at home and have at least a 45 minute journey to work account for 38.7% of the aggregate travel time to work.
At the other end of the scale, 59.0% of U.S. workers 16 years and over who did not work at home and have no more than a 24 minute journey to work account for only 29.7% of the aggregate travel time to work. In fact, nearly 3 in 10 commuters have less than 15 minute commute trips and account for less than one-tenth of time spent by all workers commuting.
There will be variations, of course, at metropolitan and local levels.
For example, some areas like the Miami-Fort Lauderdale MSA, show similar results to the national average. They have 15.8% of Florida commuters with at least a 45 minute journey to work account but tally 35.0% of the aggregate travel time to work. In addition, 50.9% of Miami-Ft. Lauderdale commuters have no more than a 24 minute journey to work and account for only 26.6% of the aggregate travel time to work.
In the Metropolitan Washington MSA, 29.5% of commuters have at least a 45 minute journey to work account for 54.3% of the aggregate travel time to work. And 39.4% of Metro Washington workers who have no more than a 24 minute journey to work account for only 16.3% of the aggregate travel time to work.
Of course, travel time is affected by many factors, including the extent of use of options other than driving alone. Our next post will look at the relative effiency of moving people (e.g., private vehicle trips per 100 commuters).
