LancasterCA // WikiCommons
1 / 50#50. Lancaster--Palmdale, CA
- Population: 353,643
- Median Commute Time: 20 to 24 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 29%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA
Cities with the Worst Commutes in America
"Commute" is a dirty word. Commuting affects our physical and psychological well-being, and commutes longer than 31 miles each way can even shorten a person's lifespan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends over 50 minutes traveling to work and back each day. That is equivalent to more than 18 hours of commuting a month and roughly eight and a half days of a commuting a year. However, as anyone stuck in Atlanta rush hour traffic or the New York City subway at 7 AM will tell you, commuter experiences can vary widely from city to city.
We used the recently-released 2016 American Community Survey to identify which U.S. cities had the longest median commute times in the nation. Our findings revealed that while the expected heavy-hitters like New York City make the list, it is the suburb-dwellers outside major metro areas who oftentimes suffer the most.
For our analysis, we focused on urban areas, which is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as densely-populated areas with more than 65,000 people. These urban areas are ranked by the median one-way commute time to help represent the typical commuter. In the event of a tie, the city with a higher percentage of residents with one-way commutes of more than 60 minutes is used to determine which areas have the more frustrating commuter experience.
We'll begin our list with the city that has the 50th worst commuter experience and slog our way to the top. Can you take a guess at which cities' residents spend the most time cursing at their steering wheels?
Adam Moss // Flickr
2 / 50#49. Lee's Summit, MO
- Population: 89,812
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 4%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Kansas City, MO
Rusty Clark // Flickr
3 / 50#48. Orlando, FL
- Population: 1,718,406
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 7%
ThomasGilmore // WikiCommons
4 / 50#47. Denton--Lewisville, TX
- Population: 415,255
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 8%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Dallas, TX
Adam Simmons // Flickr
5 / 50#46. Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX
- Population: 5,690,531
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 8%
Sanibel Sun // WikiCommons
6 / 50#45. Cape Coral, FL
- Population: 614,941
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 8%
Richard Masoner // Flickr
7 / 50#44. San Jose, CA
- Population: 1,788,846
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 9%
Jason Quinn // WikiCommons
8 / 50#43. Texas City, TX
- Population: 119,398
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 10%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Houston, TX
Alejandro Herrera // Flickr
9 / 50#42. Miami, FL
- Population: 5,992,775
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
Scutter // Flickr
10 / 50#41. McKinney, TX
- Population: 230,180
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Dallas, TX
TexasDarkHorse // Flickr
11 / 50#40. Houston, TX
- Population: 5,607,133
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
Ian Freimuth // Flickr
12 / 50#39. Baltimore, MD
- Population: 2,292,343
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
Nate Lawson // Flickr
13 / 50#38. Avondale--Goodyear, AZ
- Population: 221,256
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Phoenix, AZ
Ken L. // Flickr
14 / 50#37. Aberdeen--Bel Air South--Bel Air North, MD
- Population: 215,810
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Baltimore, MD
y-a-n // Flickr
15 / 50#36. Urban Honolulu, HI
- Population: 837,906
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
Peter & Joyce Grace // Flickr
16 / 50#35. Simi Valley, CA
- Population: 127,137
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA.
Canadian Pacific // Flickr
17 / 50#34. Seattle, WA
- Population: 3,387,102
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
Doug Kerr // Flickr
18 / 50#33. Pottstown, PA
- Population: 109,908
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Philadelphia, PA
7beachbum // Flickr
19 / 50#32. Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD
- Population: 5,555,493
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
Luke Jones // Flickr
20 / 50#31. Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA
- Population: 12,615,510
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 13%
SounderBruce // Flickr
21 / 50#30. Marysville, WA
- Population: 156,645
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Seattle, WA
Daniel Orth // Flickr
22 / 50#29. Riverside--San Bernardino, CA
- Population: 2,073,652
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 17%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA
St0rmz // Flickr
23 / 50#28. Petaluma, CA
- Population: 67,123
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 17%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Areas: San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA
Chris Lewis // Flickr
24 / 50#27. Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ
- Population: 434,846
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 18%
Ken L. // Flickr
25 / 50#26. Victorville--Hesperia, CA
- Population: 340,982
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 23%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA
Virginia Department of Transportation // Flickr
26 / 50#25. Fredericksburg, VA
- Population: 157,583
- Median Commute Time: 25 to 29 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 26%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Washington, D.C.
Masayuki Kawagishi // Flickr
27 / 50#24. Kailua (Honolulu County)--Kaneohe, HI
- Population: 116,849
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 6%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Honolulu, HI
one.juniper // Flickr
28 / 50#23. Kissimmee, FL
- Population: 361,878
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 8%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Orlando, FL
emosoda // Flickr
29 / 50#22. South Lyon--Howell, MI
- Population: 123,210
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 11%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Detroit, MI
Gabriella Yazickr // Flickr
30 / 50#21. Deltona, FL
- Population: 201,009
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 12%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Orlando, FL
David Wilson // flickr
31 / 50#20. Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI
- Population: 291,309
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 13%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Chicago, IL
Jimmy Emerson, DVM // Flickr
32 / 50#19. Slidell, LA
- Population: 94,136
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: New Orleans, LA
Bobby Hidy // Flickr
33 / 50#18. San Juan, PR
- Population: 1,979,626
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
Florent Lamoureux // Flickr
34 / 50#17. Chicago, IL--IN
- Population: 8,660,237
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
JJBers // Flickr
35 / 50#16. Boston, MA--NH--RI
- Population: 4,406,447
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
Brett Weinstei // Flickr
36 / 50#15. Atlanta, GA
- Population: 4,970,669
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 14%
Daniel Hoherd // Flickr
37 / 50#14. San Francisco--Oakland, CA
- Population: 3,529,790
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 15%
YU-WEN 郁文 LIN 林 // Flickr
38 / 50#13. Washington, DC--VA--MD
- Population: 4,983,485
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 16%
Jon Dawson // Flickr
39 / 50#12. Westminster--Eldersburg, MD
- Population: 66,403
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 19%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Baltimore, MD
yosoynome // Flickr
40 / 50#11. Santa Clarita, CA
- Population: 266,721
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 21%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA
Charlie f // Flickr
41 / 50#10. Gilroy--Morgan Hill, CA
- Population: 110,039
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 21%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: San Jose, CA
Servando Miramontes // Flickr
42 / 50#9. Vallejo, CA
- Population: 175,022
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 22%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Areas: San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA
Susan Sermoneta // Flickr
43 / 50#8. New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT
- Population: 18,954,313
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 22%
Joe Wolf // Flickr
44 / 50#7. Hemet, CA
- Population: 184,423
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 23%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Los Angeles, CA
TJ Gehling // flickr
45 / 50#6. Concord, CA
- Population: 666,866
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 23%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: San Francisco, CA
forever_carrie_on Follow // Flickr
46 / 50#5. Twin Rivers--Hightstown, NJ
- Population: 70,902
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 24%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: New York City, NY
Prayitno // Flickr
47 / 50#4. Murrieta--Temecula--Menifee, CA
- Population: 493,787
- Median Commute Time: 30 to 34 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 27%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Areas: Los Angeles, CA and San Diego, CA
Larry Eiring // Flickr
48 / 50#3. Antioch, CA
- Population: 304,063
- Median Commute Time: 35 to 39 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 30%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Areas: San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA
Shawn Honnick // Flickr
49 / 50#2. Waldorf, MD
- Population: 115,978
- Median Commute Time: 40 to 44 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 31%
- Nearby Major Metropolitan Area: Washington, D.C.
jestrbob // Flickr
50 / 50#1. Tracy, CA
- Population: 92,140
- Median Commute Time: 45 to 49 minutes
- Commuters with 60 Minutes or More of One-Way Travel Time: 39%
- Nearest Major Metropolitan Areas: San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA; and San Jose, CA
