Back on the Road: U.S. Commutes Increase Amid a Hybrid Work Era 

• The average national commute time is 26.8 – 3%, or 0.8 minutes, lower – in 2023 compared to 2019. However, when compared to a year prior, it is 0.4 minutes higher. 

• New York City commuters spend the most amount of time on their way to work in 2023, 40.1 minutes, 0.6 minutes less than they did in 2022. 

• Tulsa, OK takes the lead as the city with the best commute, with only 19.1 minutes for a one-way trip. 

• While the number of remote workers is still significantly higher in 2023 than before the pandemic, it has dropped by 1.4%, or nearly 2 million workers, compared to 2022. 

Commuting patterns have shifted significantly over the past few years, yet reducing the time spent traveling to and from work remains a common challenge for many employees. The rise of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reshaped the daily routines of millions, with a large segment of the workforce transitioning from traditional office settings to home-based work environments. As the public health crisis subsided, however, many employers initiated return-to-office policies – some out of necessity, others by preference – prompting a steady resurgence of daily commuters. 

But where do commute times stand today, and how do they compare to the pre-pandemic norm? To better understand these shifts, we analyzed the most recent U.S. Census data to compare commute durations from 2019 through 2023. In 2019, the average one-way commute time was 27.6 minutes. By 2021, that number dropped to 25.6 minutes, coinciding with a surge in remote work. However, as the number of remote workers declined from 27.6 million in 2021 to 24.4 million in 2022, average commute times rose again to 26.4 minutes. In 2023, the trend continued, with commute times increasing slightly to 26.8 minutes as remote work participation dropped further to 22.4 million.  

Hybrid Work Leads to a Rapid Increase in Commute Times 

These shifts highlight a clear pattern: as remote work declines, commute times rise, an inverse relationship that underscores how integral work-from-home options have become in shaping modern work-life balance. And what is more surprising, the increasing post-pandemic commute time trend is not as gradual as before, it is in fact, more aggressive. Between 2011 and 2019, average one-way commute times rose incrementally from 25.5 to 27.6 minutes, an increase of just over 2 minutes across eight years, averaging roughly 0.26 minutes per year. In contrast, the post-pandemic period shows a much steeper rebound. After dropping to 25.6 minutes in 2021 due to the widespread adoption of remote work, commute times jumped to 26.4 minutes in 2022 and then to 26.8 minutes in 2023. This 1.2-minute increase occurred in just two years, effectively compressing nearly five years’ worth of pre-pandemic growth into a much shorter span. The rapid rise underscores how quickly commuting habits are reverting as remote work declines, and return-to-office policies become more widespread. 

The fluctuations in average commute times closely mirror the shifts in the remote workforce over recent years. As remote work expanded, commute durations dropped, while as it declined, commute times rose. In 2019, only 5.7% of the U.S. workforce, about 9 million out of nearly 157 million workers, worked remotely. By 2021, remote work surged to 17.9%, representing over 27 million people, contributing to a significant drop in average commute time. However, this trend began reversing as return-to-office mandates gained momentum. In 2022, the share of remote workers fell to 15.2% (roughly 24 million), and by 2023, it declined further to 13.8% (about 22.4 million). This reduction in remote workers between 2021 and 2023 corresponded with a steady increase in commute times, as the percentage of in-person commuters grew year over year. While the current proportion of commuters remains below the 94% level seen in 2019, the rising number of workers returning to traditional workplaces is clearly driving the upward trend in travel time. 

New York City Quickly Closing in on Pre-Pandemic Commute Times 

In 2023, the top 10 U.S. cities with the worst commutes were led by New York City, where the average travel time was 40.1 minutes. Although this still placed it at the top of the list, New York City actually experienced a slight improvement compared to 2022, with commute times decreasing by 0.6 minutes. Similarly, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA saw modest reductions of 0.5 and 0.4 minutes, respectively. Boston, MA and Baltimore, MD also reported slight decreases, even though Baltimore made it in the top 10 worst commutes in 2023 with a 28.5-minute commute. These improvements suggest that certain urban centers may be benefiting from infrastructure investments, flexible work arrangements or other mitigating strategies aimed at reducing commute burdens. 

On the other hand, several cities saw a noticeable increase in average commute times in 2023. San Francisco, CA had the largest rise among the top 10, with a 1.4-minute increase from 29.5 in 2022 to 30.9 minutes in 2023. Los Angeles, CA also experienced a significant jump of 1.2 minutes, and Long Beach, CA added a full minute to its average commute. Washington, D.C., and Oakland, CA saw smaller increases of 0.3 minutes. These upticks may reflect growing congestion, population shifts or transit inefficiencies. Overall, while some cities have made incremental progress, others continue to struggle with escalating commute challenges. 

Tulsa, OK Commuters Spend the Least Amount of Time on the Road 

In 2023, the U.S. cities with the best commutes were led by Tulsa, OK, with an average travel time of just 19.1 minutes. Following closely behind were Wichita, KS (19.3 minutes), and Omaha, NE (20 minutes). Despite being the most efficient in terms of commute duration, most of these top cities actually saw slight increases in travel times compared to 2022. For example, Omaha experienced a 1.1-minute increase, the highest among the top 10, while Tulsa and Wichita saw jumps of 0.6 and 0.8 minutes, respectively. These upticks might reflect modest growth in population or traffic but still place these cities well below the national average for commute times. 

A few cities in the top 10, however, bucked this upward trend. Minneapolis, MN, for example, significantly improved its average commute, reducing it by 1.1 minutes, from 22.1 minutes in 2022 to 21 minutes in 2023, helping it secure a new spot on the list. Similarly, Columbus, OH, and Oklahoma City, OK, each saw their commute times drop by 0.4 minutes. Memphis, TN, remained steady at 20.9 minutes. These results suggest that while many cities with short commutes are experiencing small increases in travel time, others are effectively managing or even improving their urban mobility, keeping commute times low and quality of life high for residents.  

Top West Cities: Commute Time and Workforce Distribution 

Western U.S. saw some of the most significant reductions in commute times in 2023 compared to 2019. In 2023, commuters in Oakland, CA saved approximately 4.5 minutes on their one-way trips, 13% less time on the road than in 2019, adding up to 37.5 hours saved over the year. San Francisco, CA showed a time saving of 31.7 hours per year, despite having a higher share of remote workers than Oakland, with 24.4% working remotely compared to 22.8% in the neighboring city. 

In San Jose, CA, a 9.9 percentage point increase in the share of remote workers from 2019 to 2023 resulted in a notable drop in daily commute times. The average one-way commute fell from 31.7 minutes in 2019 to 28 minutes in 2023 – a reduction of 3.7 minutes per day. Over the course of a year, this translates to approximately 30.8 hours saved in commuting time.  

Top South Cities: Commute Time and Workforce Distribution 

Commuting in the South was already relatively manageable prior to the pandemic, and the rise in remote work has only improved the experience for many commuters. In Baltimore, MD, the average daily two-way commute dropped from around 63 minutes in 2019 to 57 minutes in 2023. This six-minute reduction translated into roughly 25 hours saved over the course of the year. With the share of remote workers in the city having tripled over the past four years, a 9.5% decline in commute time comes as little surprise. New on the list since 2022, is Miami, FL, where commute times decreased by 2.2 minutes each way between 2019 and 2023, giving workers back an estimated 18.3 hours annually.  

Meanwhile, Austin, TX saw its remote workforce grow from 10.8% to 28.1%, which contributed to a two-minute drop in the average daily commute, bringing the total time spent commuting to about 46.4 minutes per day, about two minutes and a half more than last in 2022. However, not in the top three in 2023 was Raleigh, NC, which had the fourth longest one-way commute in the South, with 24.4 minutes.

Top Northeast Cities: Commute Time and Workforce Distribution 

In the Northeast, Philadelphia, PA experienced the most significant drop in commute time, driven by an 11.1 percentage point increase in remote workers. The average one-way commute fell from 34.3 minutes in 2019 to 31.1 minutes in 2023, saving commuters an estimated 26.7 hours annually. In contrast, New York City saw only a modest improvement, with commute times decreasing by just 1.6 minutes, translating to a yearly savings of about 13.3 hours. Meanwhile, Boston, MA, despite a substantial rise in remote work from 4.1% in 2019 to 17.7% in 2023, saw only a minimal reduction in commute time. The average daily commute dropped slightly from 62.4 to 60.4 minutes, resulting in just 8.3 hours saved per year, far less than the gains seen in other major U.S. cities. 

Top Midwest Cities: Commute Time and Workforce Distribution 

Minneapolis, MN recorded the largest drop in commute time among Midwestern cities. With a 15.9 percentage point increase in its remote workforce, the average one-way commute decreased by 3.1 minutes in 2023, giving workers back approximately 25.8 hours over the course of the year. In Chicago, IL, where about 83% of the workforce still commuted, the average one-way travel time was 33 minutes in 2023 – a 6.5% reduction from 2019, when it took 35.3 minutes to get to work. Meanwhile, Columbus, OH had the smallest share of remote workers among the three cities at 16.1% yet still saw a 1.9-minute reduction in daily commute time, saving commuters around 15.8 hours annually. 

Conclusion – Future of Work Means Remote Work is Here to Stay but so is Commuting 

In conclusion, commuting patterns across the U.S. have undergone notable shifts in recent years, with remote work playing a central role in shaping how — and how long — Americans travel to and from their jobs. As remote work surged during the pandemic, average commute times dropped significantly. However, the gradual return to office environments has reversed that trend, with commute times now rising at a faster pace than before the pandemic. This accelerated rebound highlights how sensitive commuting habits are to changes in work arrangements. 

While the national average commute time remains slightly below pre-pandemic levels, the upward trend suggests that, without sustained support for flexible work models or improvements in transportation infrastructure, commuting challenges may continue to intensify. The contrast between cities that have managed to maintain or improve commute times and those experiencing increases emphasizes the need for proactive strategies while offering valuable insights into what efficient urban planning and hybrid work adoption can achieve. Going forward, the balance between in-person and remote work will be a key factor in determining whether commute times stabilize or continue to rise – and, by extension, how well cities can support a productive and balanced workforce. 

Methodology 

• For this analysis, we looked at data from the U.S. Census Bureau from the American Community Survey 1Y Estimates for 2019, 2022 and 2023. 

• The analysis includes the top 50 largest U.S. cities by population. 

• Travel time to work refers to the total number of minutes that it usually takes a worker to get from home to work (one way) each day during the reference week, for all means of transportation. 

• The term “commuters” refers to workers 16 and over who do not work at home. 

• To determine the time saved when commuting in a year, we estimated an average number of 250 working days in a year, with the assumption that travel time to and from work are equal. 

• The change in the number of work from home workers was calculated as a difference in their number and as a growth rate (%). The percent change from year to year was calculated in percentage points (ppt). 

2023 vs. 2019 Commute Times & Remote Workforce Distribution in the 50 Largest U.S. Cities 

The table below presents commute time data on all 50 U.S cities included in this analysis, in decreasing order of commute time saved in 2023 compared to 2019. For a more complete analysis, the data for 2022 is also included. 

The table below presents remote workforce data on all 50 U.S cities included in this analysis, in decreasing order of the share of work from home workers in 2023. For a more complete analysis, the data for 2022 is also included. 

Fair Use & Redistribution 

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