For many of us, one of the few things worse than a long, trying day at the office is a long, jam-packed drive home. From sitting in traffic to dealing with people who seem never to have learned about turn signals, commuting can be a big pain in the you-know-what.
Until “Star Trek”-style transporters become reality, though, driving to and from work won’t improve substantially anytime soon. However, residents of some places in the U.S. already are blessed with commutes that are perhaps not enjoyable but at least are tolerable. Those 12 places top our list of America’s Best Cities for Commuters.
For this ranking, we looked at gas prices, round-trip commuting time, how that time has changed recently, the percentage of people not driving to work, and the percentage of people who work nontraditional hours. High numbers in the first three categories counted against a location, and high numbers in the last two categories, which indicated a reduced number of people on the roads during rush hour, counted for it. We looked at the top 100 metro areas in the U.S.
1. Oxnard, CA
Oxnard sits near the Pacific Ocean between Malibu and Santa Barbara and hosts the annual California Strawberry Festival in honor of its huge strawberry production. The area had the largest drop in average commuting time of any location on our list.
Metro population: 829,017
Average gas price: $2.67
Average round-trip commuting time: 49.2 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -3.1 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 9.6 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 22.6 percent
2. New York City, NY
New York City isn’t exactly famous for its light traffic. It actually has the longest average commute time among all 100 of the metro areas, but it also has, by far, the largest percentage of people not driving to work. And a fair share of people leave for work after 9 a.m., meaning they’re not commuting during rush hour.
Metro population: 19,716,880
Average gas price: $2.74
Average round-trip commuting time: 69.8 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: 0.9 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 40.7 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 25.3 percent
3. Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix made the third spot largely thanks to its low gas prices and the drop in residents’ commuting time.
Metro population: 4,268,289
Average gas price: $1.99
Average round-trip commuting time: 51.6 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -1.5 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 10.4 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 23.6 percent
4. Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, is home to several military bases and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Colorado Springs has the lowest percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m., but the area earned its spot on our list for other reasons. Gas in Colorado Springs is cheaper than anywhere else in our top 12, and commute times are dropping.
Metro population: 657,699
Average gas price: $1.80
Average round-trip commuting time: 44
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -0.9 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 11.6 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 21.1 percent
5. Albuquerque, NM
Like Colorado Springs, Albuquerque is home to a military installation: Kirtland Air Force Base. Other similarities: Albuquerque has inexpensive gasoline, and commutes are getting shorter.
Metro population: 893,241
Average gas price: $1.84
Average round-trip commuting time: 46.6 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -1.3 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 9.1 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 23.5 percent
6. Grand Rapids, MI
More than one-fourth Grand Rapids’ workers leave for work after 9 a.m., which helps put a dent in some of the rush-hour traffic. The falling commuting times also helped Grand Rapids’ ranking.
Metro population: 998,916
Average gas price: $2.03
Average round-trip commuting time: 43.2 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -1.4 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 7.8 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 26.7 percent
7. Chicago, IL
Chicago’s residents have the second-longest commutes among the Top 12 metros, but nearly one-fifth of workers don’t drive to work, and nearly one-fourth of workers don’t commute during rush hour.
Metro population: 9,488,493
Average gas price: $2.28
Average round-trip commuting time: 61.6 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -0.6 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 19.3 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 24.8 percent
8. Ogden, UT
Ogden sits near the shores of the Great Salt Lake, less than an hour north of Salt Lake City. Much of Ogden’s economy relies on government; in fact, the IRS is the area’s largest employer. Ogden earned the ninth spot on our list thanks to falling commute times and the share of people who leave for work after rush hour.
Metro population: 605,609
Average gas price: $2.13
Average round-trip commuting time: 44.2 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -1.3 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 8.1 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 25.1 percent
9. Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, the biggest city in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, is a financial, tech and health care hub. Raleigh made our list thanks mainly to its falling commute times.
Metro population: 1,162,689
Average gas price: $2.28
Average round-trip commuting time: 49.4 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -1.6 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 8.9 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 22.9 percent
10. Boise, ID
Residents of Boise have super-easy access to skiing — the nearest slopes are about 20 miles away, and world-famous Sun Valley is a little more than two hours from town. Boise also has the shortest round-trip commuting time of any area in our Top 12.
Metro population: 628,966
Average gas price: $2.02
Average round-trip commuting time: 42.4 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -0.5 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 10.4 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 24.3 percent
11. Las Vegas, NV
Commutes in Las Vegas are getting a little shorter, but the biggest reason the city made our list is the high percentage of people who leave for work after 9 a.m. (the highest in the Top 12). Of course, many of those commuters work at local hotels, casinos and other attractions.
Metro population: 1,976,925
Average gas price: $2.41
Average round-trip commuting time: 48.2 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -0.8 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 8.9 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 33.2 percent
12. New Orleans, LA
New Orleans has the fourth-longest average commuting time in the Top 12, but that time is growing shorter. Also, commuters benefit from low gas prices.
Metro population: 1,209,239
Average gas price: $1.97
Average round-trip commuting time: 50.6 minutes
Change in average round-trip commuting time: -0.8 percent
Percentage of people who don’t drive to work: 8.8 percent
Percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m.: 22.2 percent
Methodology
Average gas prices came from AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. We used data on average metro-area prices for a gallon of regular gas as of Jan. 7, 2015. For the commuting data, we used figures from the U.S. Census Bureau on the amount of time people spend getting to work and, since that’s a one-way number, doubled it to get round-trip times. The most recent Census Bureau data is from 2013, and we compared that to data from 2010. The percentage of people who don’t drive to work is the sum of the percentages of people who walk, bike or take public transportation to work and the percentage of people who work from home. The percentage of people leaving for work after 9 a.m. is the percentage of people who reported to the Census Bureau that they leave for work between 9 a.m. and 11:59 p.m.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau and AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report
Photo of rearview mirror courtesy of Flickr/EJP Photo, photo of Oxnard courtesy of Ventura County Star, photo of New York City courtesy of Flickr/Trey Ratcliff, photo of Phoenix courtesy of Flickr/freeside510, photo of Colorado Springs courtesy of Flickr/Amy the Nurse, photo of Albuquerque courtesy of Flickr/Lee Ruck, photo of Grand Rapids courtesy of Flickr/Michigan Municipal League, photo of Chicago courtesy of Flickr/Jason Mrachina, photo of Ogden courtesy of VisitOgden.com, photo of Raleigh courtesy of Flickr/James Willamor, photo of Boise courtesy of Flickr/Roadsidepictures, Las Vegas photo courtesy of Flickr/LaserGuided, photo of New Orleans courtesy of Flickr/Wally Gobetz
