Most workers commute every day, study finds

Worker commute study overview: 

• Who: Data firm Replica released a study on American worker commutes. 
• Why: The study revealed the majority of American workers commute to work each day with an average of 27 minutes per one-way trip. 
• Where: The study analyzed the commutes of workers nationwide. 

The majority of American workers are still commuting to work each day, with a one-way trip to the office taking around 27 minutes on average, according to a recently released study by the data firm Replica. 

The study found that, while nearly half of American workers continued to commute during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global health crisis changed the way of commuting in regard to rush hour traffic and train schedules, reports the New York Post. 

The pandemic also furthered the gap between American workers who were able to do their jobs remotely and who could not and those who drove to work and who took public transit, according to the Replica study. 

The post-pandemic commute has gotten shorter, meanwhile, for drivers in a number of cities, according to the study, which revealed Atlanta led the way with a 9.8% shorter commute time from 2019 to 2022. 

The major metropolitan areas of Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, San Francisco and Washington round out the top six cities for shortened commute times during that same time period, reports the New York Post. 

Commute times for American workers affected by racial inequality, says study 

Commute times were increasing even prior to the pandemic, according to the study, which noted that the average one-way commute increased from 25 minutes in 2006 to 27.6 minutes by 2019. 

Replica attributed this increase to workers moving farther away from job centers due to a rising cost of housing in those areas, reports the New York Post. 

Commute times are also affected by racial inequality, according to the study, which found Black workers generally will have a further commute than white individuals, a statistic that is attributed in part to housing segregation. 

The study revealed that workers of color are also disproportionately likely to be employed in a position that is not able to be done remotely, reports the New York Post. 

In other job-related news, a survey released earlier this year by the nonpartisan nonprofit The Conference Board found American workers are more satisfied than ever thanks to a tight job market and flexible work arrangements. 

Do you have to commute to work? Let us know in the comments! 

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