The City With the Longest Commute Time in Every State

The percentage of people working from home has more than tripled since the pandemic began, going from 5.7% to 17.9% of workers. But even after such a drastic increase, more than four out of five workers still commute to work every day.

How long commute times take influences millions of Americans across the country, including where they live, when they wake up, the kind of car they drive, and more.

We wanted to see which states’ workers have the longest and shortest commute times. To find out, the FinanceBuzz team analyzed census data from hundreds of cities across the country.

Key findings

• Poinciana, Florida, has the longest commute time in the U.S., at 43.2 minutes on average.
• Sioux Falls has the longest average commute time in South Dakota, at a still-short 16.7 minutes. That’s the shortest longest commute time of any state.
• Among cities with the longest commute times across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the average commute time is 27.1 minutes.
• Kentucky is the only state where two cities tied for the longest average commute time: Lexington and Louisville each average 20.8 minutes.

Cities with the longest commutes in the U.S.

There are three states where the city with the longest commute has a time over 40 minutes. Florida leads the way here, as workers in Poinciana spend 43.2 minutes commuting to and from work on average. This time could be influenced by workers commuting to Orlando, Florida.

In Apple Valley, California, the average worker commutes for 42.6 minutes — that’s the longest in the state.

Finally, San Tan Valley, Arizona, has the longest commute time in the state at 40.6 minutes, possibly because this city is located about 47 miles outside Phoenix.

While fewer than 40 minutes, there are 13 states with cities where commute times average more than half an hour. This includes some of the biggest cities in the U.S., such as New York City (39.8 minutes), Chicago (32.2 minutes), and Philadelphia (31.1 minutes).

On the other end of the spectrum, some cities with the “longest” commute times in their state get off easy. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has the longest commute time in the state at just 16.7 minutes. That’s 2.5 times shorter than the average commute time in Poinciana, and the shortest time of any state’s top-ranking city.

Several other cities in or near the Great Plains region have longest average commute times of less than 20 minutes, including:

• Fargo, North Dakota (17.7 minutes)
• Billings, Montana (17.7 minutes)
• Cheyenne, Wyoming (18.7 minutes)

Three other cities rank number one in their respective states while still having average commute times under 20 minutes:

• Anchorage, Alaska (19.1 minutes)
• Omaha, Nebraska (19.2 minutes)
• Davenport, Iowa (19.3 minutes)

Tips to save on your commute

• Find the right insurance company for your needs. Coverage and costs vary from one insurance company to another, so finding one that matches your needs is important. Be sure to compare the offerings available from some of the best car insurance companies to find the right fit for you.
• Look for ways to cut down on your insurance costs. There are plenty of ways that customers can save money on their insurance costs. Researching top ways to save money on car insurance can result in some relief on your premiums.
• Find the best credit card for your commute. Check out our guide for the best credit cards for commuters or one of the best credit cards for gas to see what card fits your commute.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz collected U.S. Census data for the mean commute times of more than 600 cities in the United States. Using that data, we were able to determine the city in each state where the commute time was highest.

Full list

State	City with longest commute time	Commute time (in minutes)
Alabama	Hoover	24.2
Alaska	Anchorage	19.1
Arizona	San Tan Valley	40.6
Arkansas	Conway	23.8
California	Apple Valley	42.6
Colorado	Thornton	34.8
Connecticut	Danbury	32.7
Delaware	Wilmington	21.7
District of Columbia	Washington	28.3
Florida	Poinciana	43.2
Georgia	South Fulton	32.7
Hawaii	Honolulu	20.6
Idaho	Nampa	22.1
Illinois	Chicago	32.2
Indiana	Noblesville	28.3
Iowa	Davenport	19.3
Kansas	Kansas City	22.9
Kentucky	Lexington/Louisville (tie)	20.8
Louisiana	Kenner	25.4
Maine	Portland	20.8
Maryland	Waldorf	38.2
Massachusetts	Malden	33.6
Michigan	Detroit	25.5
Minnesota	Blaine	27.3
Mississippi	Gulfport	24
Missouri	Lee's Summit	23.2
Montana	Billings	17.7
Nebraska	Omaha	19.2
Nevada	Sunrise Manor	26.8
New Hampshire	Nashua	23.4
New Jersey	Jersey City	34
New Mexico	Rio Rancho	30.1
New York	New York City	39.8
North Carolina	Concord	25.2
North Dakota	Fargo	17.7
Ohio	Lorain	24.2
Oklahoma	Edmond	23.8
Oregon	Gresham	29
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	31.1
Rhode Island	Pawtucket	24.5
South Carolina	Rock Hill	26.3
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	16.7
Tennessee	Clarksville	25.6
Texas	Atascocita	34.9
Utah	South Jordan	24.6
Vermont	Burlington	23.1
Virginia	Dale City	35.9
Washington	South Hill	32.7
West Virginia	Bluefield	26.1
Wisconsin	Appleton	22.6
Wyoming	Cheyenne	18.7