Average daily commute length in the United States 2019 to 2024

According to the Statista Consumer Insights, for the period between October 2023 and September 2024, around of U.S. American workers spent an average of half an hour or less commuting to work. In the period between 2019 and 2024, the share of workers commuting less than 15 minutes dropped by seven percentage points to 23 percent, while the share of workers commuting over half an hour decreased from 29 to 25 percent.

Rise of hybrid work models

The transformation in commute times coincides with a surge in hybrid work arrangements. By the second quarter of 2024, 53 percent of U.S. workers reported adopting a hybrid work model, blending remote and on-site work. This shift, initially sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, has reshaped how Americans balance their professional and personal lives, offering increased flexibility and potentially reducing overall commute times for many. 

Driving remains most common form of commuting

Among those workers who continue to travel to their place of work, driving remained the most popular mode. Over two-thirds of U.S. Americans drove to work by car, truck or van in 2022 and an additional nearly nine percent used a carpool to get to their job. Public transportation, meanwhile, was only used by 3.1 percent of workers.