- East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, has the longest average commute time at 36.2 minutes one way.
- The New York City metro area ranked second, while four California cities were in the top eight.
- With rents in New York City at over $4,600 on average for a one-bedroom, many are moving to the suburbs.
Tired of sitting in traffic? So are many residents of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and the New York City area.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that residents of East Stroudsburg, a city about 40 miles north of Allentown in Pennsylvania, have the longest commute times of any metro area. Residents commute over 36 minutes each way on average, slightly more than in the New York-Newark-Jersey City at just under 36 minutes. The data analyzes Americans 16 or older who don't work from home and commute via car or public transit.
According to a November 2023 Gallup poll, 27% of remote-capable employees work fully remotely, while 52% are hybrid. While many younger Americans in particular are moving to the suburbs, more than three-quarters of American workers in these remote-capable jobs still need to live close enough to an office to meet their expectations. Occasionally, some Americans make the decision to become super-commuters who fly in for work once a month.
The average commute time in East Stroudsburg — sometimes considered the gateway to the Poconos — may be the longest since residents often work in larger metropolitan cities like New York City, Allentown, or Philadelphia. According to Rent.com estimates, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in East Stroudsburg is $1,726 — compared to $4,634 in New York City. More people looking to commute into larger cities has contributed to greater congestion on major roadways.
Those in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area have average commutes of 35.8 minutes each way. Given New York City's congestion — and the lengthy commute via public transit from neighboring cities to the Big Apple — perhaps this statistic is not too surprising.
California had four metro areas in the top eight. Stockton, a city in California's Central Valley, has nearly 34-minute commute times in part due to the city's proximity to Sacramento and the Bay Area. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area similarly has commute times of nearly 33 minutes as it's near the Los Angeles area. Yuba City north of Sacramento has the same commute time as the Washington, DC-Arlington-Alexandria area.
Other major metro areas with particularly long commute times include Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land — all at about 30 minutes.
On the flip side, the shortest commute time is 15.4 minutes in Great Falls, Montana, as most residents drive to work within or close to the city boundaries. The Lewiston, Idaho area had an average commute time of 16 minutes, while Manhattan, Kansas, and Casper, Wyoming were both at 16.2 minutes.
Do you commute far distances to work and want to share your story? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
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