This Map Reveals Which States Have The Longest Commutes
Even if your commute is just around the corner, the amount of time you spend schlepping to and from the office every day can clock in at a shockingly high number over the course of a year. And sure, traffic in Los Angeles is bad and getting around in subway problem-plagued New York City can be a downright nightmare, but you might be surprised by how similarly lengthy many peoples' commutes are around the country.
Using the most recent data estimates from the American Community Survey (which is conducted by the US Census Bureau), we put together a map highlighting the average commute time in minutes, for every state. In many ways, it reveals some surprising intel. For instance South Dakotans may have the lowest commute time of any state, but the average worker there spends over 16 minutes twice a day traveling to and from work. That means their commute eats up more than two hours and 40 minutes a week, or nearly six full days in a given year.
Meanwhile, the state with the longest commute is New York, where the average worker travels 33.4 minutes twice per day. Over the course of a year, that means they will spend over a week and five days en route to and from their daily grind. That is a hell of a long time.
If you're curious where your state fell on the list -- or are on the prowl for a place where commutes are relatively short, here's how things shake out from longest to shortest travel times.
51. New York -- 33.4 minutes
50. Maryland -- 32.8 minutes
49. New jersey -- 31.7 minutes
48. Washington, DC -- 30.8 minutes
47. Massachusetts -- 29.6 minutes
46. California -- 29.4 minutes
45. Illinois -- 28.9 minutes
44. Georgia -- 28.5 minutes
43. Virginia -- 28.5 minutes
42. Washington -- 27.8 minutes
41. Florida -- 27.4 minutes
40. Hawaii -- 27.4 minutes
39. New Hampshire -- 26.9 minutes
38. Pennsylvania -- 26.9 minutes
37. Texas -- 26.5 minutes
36. Connecticut -- 26.3 minutes
35. Delaware -- 26.1 minutes
34. West Virginia -- 25.4 minutes
33. Arizona -- 25.3 minutes
32. Tennessee -- 25.1 minutes
31. Louisiana -- 25 minutes
30. Colorado -- 25 minutes
29. Rhode Island -- 24.8 minutes
28. South Carolina -- 24.7 minutes
27. Alabama -- 24.6 minutes
26. Michigan -- 24.5 minutes
25. North Carolina -- 24.4 minutes
24. Mississippi -- 24.3 minutes
23. Nevada --24.1 minutes
22. Maine -- 23.9 minutes
21. Oregon -- 23.9 minutes
20. Missouri -- 23.7 minutes
19. Indiana -- 23.6 minutes
18. Minnesota -- 23.5 minutes
17. Ohio -- 23.4 minutes
16. Kentucky -- 23.3 minutes
15. Vermont -- 23.1 minutes
14. New Mexico -- 21.9 minutes
13. Wisconsin -- 21.9 minutes
12. Utah -- 21.6 minutes
11. Oklahoma -- 21.4 minutes
10. Arkansas -- 21.2 minutes
9. Idaho -- 20.9 minutes
8. Kansas -- 19.4 minutes
7. Iowa -- 19 minutes
6. Nebraska -- 18.6 minutes
5. Alaska -- 18 minutes
4. Montana -- 17.5 minutes
3. North Dakota -- 17.4 minutes
2. Wyoming -- 16.9 minutes
1. South Dakota -- 16.6 minutes
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