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.

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Author Details

Josh Koebert

Josh Koebert is a Senior Content Marketer at FinanceBuzz who writes about personal finance trends. As an experienced researcher, Josh’s data-driven stories focus on the intersection between economics and consumer behavior: where personal finance meets everyday life.