American Commutes Are Among the Shortest in the Developed World
Homes and workplaces are scattered, so many people live fairly near their jobs.
Noahpinion · The American suburbs are better than you thinkNoah Smith, the blogger behind Noahpinion who favors dense cities, points out that Americans have "some of the shortest commutes in the developed world."
The common view is that cities refuse to build housing while jobs stay clustered downtown, forcing people to live far out and endure punishing drives. An OECD comparison of commute times across rich countries shows that is not what happens.
One reason, Smith writes, is that it is not just homes but workplaces that are scattered, so many people end up living fairly near where they work.
The myth is that suburbanites accept a 45 minute commute for a big house. Smith rejects that tradeoff, pointing to the short commutes in the OECD data.
Questions people ask
How short is the average American commute?
About 26 to 27 minutes each way, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. That is the national average for travel to work, and it has stayed roughly in that range for the past decade.
Is that because almost everyone drives?
Yes. About three-quarters of American commuters drive alone or carpool, with only about 5% using public transit nationally. Short distances plus driving help keep trip times down, even where traffic is heavy.
What does it mean for a city to be polycentric?
It means a metro area has many job centers spread around it, not one big downtown. Offices, shops, and factories sit in different suburbs, so workers in one suburb may work in that same suburb or the next one over.