Earlier this month, the U.S. Census Bureau released a fact-packed report on commuting patterns across the nation. The release, entitled, Megacommuters: 600,000 in U.S. Travel 90 Minutes and 50 Miles to Work, and 10.8 Million Travel an Hour Each Way, Census Bureau Reports, was based on information included in the annual American Community Survey.
While interesting in its own right, it also serves as a gateway to more detailed reports and tables, running the gamut from the percentage of employees who commute long distances (“megacommuters”), modes of transportation, state and county comparisons, and commuting flow patterns.
Highlights of the 2011 data:
- One in 122 full-time workers is a megacommuter, meaning their commute times are 60 minutes or more. Of total megacommuters, approximately 75 percent are male, and 25 percent are female.
- New York State has the highest rate – 16.2 percent – of residents who are megacommuters.
- Public transportation is used by 23 percent of workers with commute times greater than 60 minutes.
- More than 25 percent of all workers commute to a county outside the county where they live.
- The District of Columbia dominates out-of-state commutes. 72.4 percent of people who work in D.C. live in other states.