Skip to main content

StreetLight Data reveals longest commutes to work across US

Commuters in the US state of Maine travel 9.8 miles to work on a daily basis, a 72% longer journey than the 5.7-mile median commute in Wyoming, according to the latest report by StreetLight Data. The transportation analytics company conducted its study on nearly 30,000 ZIP codes in areas with over 1,000 residents as part of a strategy to help encourage businesses and governments to start fixing the accessibility gap. The inquiry also highlighted the longest and shortest commutes in each state by ZIP cod
March 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Commuters in the US state of Maine travel 9.8 miles to work on a daily basis, a 72% longer journey than the 5.7-mile median commute in Wyoming, according to the latest report by StreetLight Data. The transportation analytics company conducted its study on nearly 30,000 ZIP codes in areas with over 1,000 residents as part of a strategy to help encourage businesses and governments to start fixing the accessibility gap.


The inquiry also highlighted the longest and shortest commutes in each state by ZIP code. California's ZIP 92309 showed the worst median commute of 115.4 miles while North Carolina’s ZIP 28575 had the shortest commute of 0.2 miles.

City by City results revealed that Bishop, California, is the Metropolitan area with the longest one-way commute of 70.2 miles. However, the 4,787-low population core-based statistical area (CBSA) may be over-influenced by a few extreme commuters. Ocean Pines, Maryland-Delaware’s population of 50,375 came second with a median commute distance of 29.2 miles.

Laramie, Wyoming, is the CBSA with the shortest commute of 1.7 miles with a population of 35,221. It is followed by Kansas’ population of 25,292 who travel 2.1 miles to work. The report noted that some of the rural CBSA's may be influenced by people who work on farms located close to their homes.

Additionally, cities such as Oxford, Mississippi, has students that attend Universities as their place of work and who often live nearby. It has a population of 43,250 and a median commute distance of 3.2 miles.

A full copy of the report is available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/519045/Commutes%20Across%20America_180201_LR.pdf false false%>.

Related Content

  • Flashing LED from Ninghai Qinghua improves guard rail visibility
    March 26, 2014
    Increased road safety is claimed for a novel system from Ninghai Qinghua Electrical designed to improve the conspicuity of guard rails. This solar powered lighting system can be mounted on top of the barrier and features reliable LED technology, using flashing to ensure drivers can see the barriers clearly from a distance or in poor weather conditions with heavy rain or fog.
  • ITS World Congress 2018: call for contributions extended to 19 January
    January 15, 2018
    The final Call for Contributions deadline for ITS World Congress 2018 in Copenhagen has been extended to the 19 January 2018. The event presents an opportunity for mobility experts and professionals from three regions to exchange ideas and best practices on how ITS solutions create fresh and innovative possibilities in the mobility sector. Submission papers and session proposals are encouraged to enhance the interaction between speakers and the audience and to increase the sharing of knowledge and
  • European lawmakers agree to improve toll collection rules
    November 22, 2018
    The European Parliament (EP) and European Council (EC) have agreed on rules to improve the tracing of drivers who fail to pay road tolls when travelling within the European Union. The informal agreement is expected to improve information exchange on vehicle data. Additionally, the agreed rules are intended to allow service providers to develop a system which allows drivers to use a single on-board toll payment device when travelling across the EU. Rapporteur Massimilano Salini (European People’s Party
  • UK organisations disagree on smart motorway ‘dangers’
    September 13, 2019
    A spat over how dangerous the UK’s all lane running (ALR) or ‘smart’ motorways are has broken out between Highways England and a leading motoring organisation. Smart motorways do not have hard shoulders, instead relying on emergency areas at intervals to provide refuge for stranded motorists. The AA recently highlighted Stationary Vehicle Detection, a Highways England report published in March 2016, which looks at how long it takes to identify a vehicle broken down in a live lane of smart motorway when s