The City With the Longest Commute Time in Every State [2025]

Having to commute to and from work influences millions of Americans across the country, affecting where they live, when they wake up, the type 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 51 minutes on average.
• Among cities with the longest commute times across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the average commute time is 28.3 minutes, slightly longer than the census-reported average commute time of 25.6 minutes nationwide.
• New York has the longest average commute time across the entire state of anywhere in the country, at 32.8 minutes. Drivers in South Dakota enjoy the shortest average commute, 18.4 minutes.

Cities with the longest commutes in the U.S.

There are four states where the city with the longest commute has a time of at least 40 minutes. Florida leads the way here, as workers in Poinciana spend 51 minutes commuting to and from work on average. This time could be influenced by workers commuting to Orlando, Florida, which is located about an hour away.

In Brentwood, California, the average worker commutes for 46.4 minutes — that's the longest in the state.

Finally, commute times in a pair of places in and around the Big Apple each have average commute times exceeding 40 minutes. Workers in East Orange, New Jersey, face an average commute of 41.7 minutes, while those living in New York City proper can expect to spend 40.1 minutes on the road each way to and from work.

All told, there are 17 different states where the longest commute time in the state is at least 30 minutes. This includes some of the country's largest cities, such as New York City (40.1 minutes), Chicago in Illinois (33 minutes), Philadelphia in Pennsylvania (31.1 minutes), and the national capital of Washington, D.C. (30.4 minutes).

On the other end of the spectrum, some cities with the "longest" commute times in their state get off easy. Cheyenne, Wyoming, has the longest commute time in the state at just 16 minutes. That's more than 3 times shorter than the average commute time in Poinciana, and the shortest time of any state's top-ranking city.

Full city list

State	City with worst commute time	Commute time (minutes)
Alabama	Hoover	25.3
Alaska	Anchorage	18.9
Arizona	Maricopa	35.9
Arkansas	Conway	21.1
California	Brentwood	46.4
Colorado	Castle Rock	30
Connecticut	Danbury	33.3
Delaware	Wilmington	22.8
District of Columbia	Washington	30.4
Florida	Poinciana	51
Georgia	South Fulton	35.2
Hawaii	Honolulu	22.8
Idaho	Nampa	26.2
Illinois	Chicago	33
Indiana	Hammond	27.7
Iowa	Des Moines	19.3
Kansas	Shawnee	23.4
Kentucky	Louisville	23.3
Louisiana	Kenner	23.7
Maine	Portland	19.8
Maryland	Waldorf	38.5
Massachusetts	Quincy	38.4
Michigan	Novi	28
Minnesota	Woodbury	26.2
Mississippi	Jackson	20.8
Missouri	Lee's Summit	24.9
Montana	Missoula	19.8
Nebraska	Omaha	20
Nevada	Sunrise Manor	28.1
New Hampshire	Nashua	28.1
New Jersey	East Orange	41.7
New Mexico	Rio Rancho	32.8
New York	New York City	40.1
North Carolina	Concord	29.9
North Dakota	Bismarck	18.2
Ohio	Lorain	24.7
Oklahoma	Edmond	24.5
Oregon	Gresham	26.8
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	31.1
Rhode Island	Pawtucket	26.7
South Carolina	North Charleston	26.3
South Dakota	Rapid City	19
Tennessee	Clarksville	27.5
Texas	Atascocita	36.2
Utah	Lehi	27.9
Vermont	Burlington	23.1
Virginia	Dale City	38.9
Washington	South Hill	34.6
West Virginia	Beckley	28.2
Wisconsin	Janesville	24.9
Wyoming	Cheyenne	16

Average commute time by state

To better understand what commuting looks like across the country and provide additional context for how the longest commute time in each state compares to a "normal" drive to work, we found the average commute time in every state nationwide.

There are four states where commuters spend at least 30 minutes commuting each way on average, with New York leading the way with an average commute time of 32.8 minutes. Maryland and New Jersey are tied for the second-longest average commute at 31.4 minutes, while drivers in the District of Columbia face a drive of 30.4 minutes every day. Massachusetts came close to the half-hour mark as well, with the average commute in that state lasting 29.9 minutes.

The state with the shortest average commute time is South Dakota, at 18.4 minutes. That is just a few seconds faster than neighboring North Dakota, which has the second-lowest commute time in the country at 18.5 minutes. Drivers in three other states average less than 20 minutes driving to work: Nebraska (19.1 minutes), Wyoming (19.5 minutes), and Alaska (19.8 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 nearly 650 cities in the United States. Using that data, we were able to determine the city in each state where the commute time was highest.