The average American commuter spent 25.5 minutes getting to and from work in 2017, a 0.7 percent increase over 2016. Commuters who drove alone took 25.6 minutes, carpoolers took 28.2 minutes, while transit riders required 50.4 minutes. Curiously, the only method of commuting that averaged less than the national average was walking, but at 12.8 minutes it was enough to bring the national average below that of driving alone.
Average time to work was only 21.7 minutes in 1980 and 22.4 minutes in 1990. However, it has been hovering around 25.5 minutes since the 2000 census. One of the reasons for the increase between 1990 and 2000 was that the census data entry system allowed maximum commutes of 99 minutes in 1990 and earlier surveys but 240 minutes in 2000 and later surveys. This was estimated to add 30 seconds to average travel times.
Table B08136 of the American Community Survey reports the total time spent each way by commuters by mode of commuting. Since table B08301 presents the number of commuters by mode, it should be easy to divide one into the other to get the average number of minutes. Continue reading
