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- With return-to-office mandates pushing workers back to the office, some are seeing economic impacts.
- In some cities, workers spend up to 7% of their income on commuting by car.
- Multiple cities in California and Florida rank within the top 10 most expensive cities to drive in.
With return-to-office mandates becoming more common in corporate America, it seems that the days of commuting from the kitchen to the couch are behind us.
As people make their way back to the office, they have to factor in commuting costs again.
Mercury Insurance released a report in March that ranked 147 US cities by how much residents paid, on average, to commute to and from work by car. Its study considered factors including average driving distances, gas prices, tolls, and repair costs per city using the most recently available data. Sources for the report included data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analytics, transit-research company Replica, CarMD’s Vehicle Health Index State Index, and TollGuru’s toll calculator tool.
While some of the top cities, like New York and San Francisco, have extensive public transportation systems that allow many residents to commute using public transit, most places on the list are predominantly car cities.
See how the top 10 cities rank.
10. Louisville, Kentucky
Sitting on the Ohio River, Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky with over 600,000 residents.
The city is in Jefferson County where, in 2023, nearly 72% of workers drove alone to work, according to the US Census’ American Community Survey data.
Although the city has a bus system, public transportation isn’t a particularly popular option for commuters, with only 1.8% of the county’s population opting for it, per the ACS data. The percentage of those walking to work is higher, at 2%.
In Louisville, commuting costs an average of $3,615 per year, representing 5.5% of the average income in the city, Mercury Insurance’s report said.
9. Wichita, Kansas
In Wichita, commuting times averaged 19.9 minutes in 2023. Commuting costs averaged $3,670, or 6.08% of the average income in the city, Mercury Insurance reported.
Nearly 90% of the county’s residents commute by car to work, with some 80.4% of residents driving alone to work, according to census data.
8. Flagstaff, Arizona
The mountain city of Flagstaff, Arizona, and its fewer than 100,000 residents also experience some of the highest costs of commuting in the country, per the report.
Although at 18.4 minutes, the average commute time is shorter than in other US cities, the average cost of commuting in Flagstaff is $3,688 annually, or 5.95% of the average income, per Mercury Insurance.
However, its county also has a relatively high rate of work-from-home employees, averaging 11.6% in 2023, according to census data. That year, 64.2% of the population drove alone to work.
7. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Another mountain city, Colorado Springs also ranks among the costliest commutes in the country — the annual average is $3,909. Nearly 70% of residents in the county, El Paso County, drive alone to work, according to census data.
The costs equal to 5.94% of the average income for city residents, according to the insurance company’s report.
6. Orlando, Florida
A famously car-dependent city, Orlando ranks high on the list, reportedly averaging a yearly $3,916 in commuting costs. The commute costs relative to income is the highest on the list, with residents spending 6.78% of their incomes on commuting, on average.
In Orange County, which includes Orlando, 67.9% of residents drove alone to work in 2023, according to census data. It has a high rate of work-from-home employees, with 17.5% of residents working remotely.
5. Tampa, Florida
Tampa residents spend an average of $3,957 driving to and from work. It’s another car-dependent city, with 60% of residents driving to get around, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the City of Tampa.
Census data for Hillsborough County estimated that 65.6% of residents drive alone to get to work. The county, however, also has a high share of remote employees, with 20.1% of residents working from home.
4. San Francisco
The tech hub has some of the highest costs of commuting, contributing to its expensive cost of living. The average cost of driving to and from work in the California city totals $4,465 annually, although Mercury Insurance reported the figure represents 3.42% of the average resident income, which is lower than in other cities.
While the cost of driving to work is high, commuting by car is also not as predominant as in other cities on the list, with 29.7% of San Francisco County residents driving alone to work in 2023, according to census data.
Nearly a quarter of workers in the county work from home, while 22% rely on public transportation.
3. Houston
The Texas metropolis, known for its extensive highways, has the third-highest cost of driving to and from work, with the annual average in Houston coming in at $4,864, or 6.71% of the average income, per the report.
Just over 70% of residents in Harris County, which includes Houston, drive to work alone, according to census data. Another 11.9% worked from home.
2. San Diego
Costing residents 6.42% of their average income, driving to and from work in San Diego averages $5,081, the highest of the car-dependent cities on this list.
According to 2023 census data, two-thirds of San Diego County residents drove alone to work, while 16% worked from home.
The average commute time in the city is 25.7 minutes, clocking in higher than some other places on this list.
1. New York
Topping the list is New York City, which in recent months has implemented policies like congestion pricing in a bid to discourage solo drivers from entering the busiest parts of the city.
For those who drive to work in the city, the costs average $5,907 annually, accounting for 6.46% of average incomes.
However, 2023 census data for the five boroughs indicates over half of residents commute through public transportation, making the commuting cost only applicable to the 24% who decide to drive alone to work.
