Workers in these US cities will have the cheapest commutes as companies prepare to bring staff back to the office
Sarah Jackson
- Workers in these 20 US cities have the least costly commutes in the nation, a new analysis says.
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, has the shortest and least costly commute, at 37 minutes round-trip and $13 a day.
- Half of the cities with the 10 least costly commutes are also in the bottom 10 for median earnings.
Getting to the office each day can cost a lot of time and money. As companies draw up plans to bring staff back to in-person work, many people are dreading the idea of having to commute again.
Fortunately for workers in these 20 US cities, they have the least costly commutes in the nation, according to a new analysis from LendingTree. Commutes in these cities have the lowest opportunity costs which, in this case, is the value of the things people didn't do in the time they were commuting, such as sleeping in or being on the clock.
Read more: Employers are waging a war over work from home. WFH is winning.
Using the Census Bureau's 2019 one-year American Community Survey, the latest available federal data, the analysts looked at commute times for the 100 biggest cities in the US by worker count.
They then used Census Bureau data to estimate the average hourly earnings in these cities. When they multiplied this by the commute time, they were able to calculate these commutes' opportunity costs.
Here are the cities where American workers lose the least money when they're stuck in traffic:
1. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Median full-time earnings: $41,302
Average round-trip commute time: 37 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $13
Annual cost of commute: $3,255
2. Toledo, Ohio
Median full-time earnings: $37,148
Average round-trip commute time: 40 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $13
Annual cost of commute: $3,348
3. Wichita, Kansas
Median full-time earnings: $42,399
Average round-trip commute time: 38 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $14
Annual cost of commute: $3,431
4. Corpus Christi, Texas
Median full-time earnings: $41,786
Average round-trip commute time: 40 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $14
Annual cost of commute: $3,461
5. Norfolk, Virginia
Median full-time earnings: $37,334
Average round-trip commute time: 44 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $14
Annual cost of commute: $3,461
6. El Paso, Texas
Median full-time earnings: $35,917
Average round-trip commute time: 47 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,650
7. Lincoln, Nebraska
Median full-time earnings: $44,601
Average round-trip commute time: 37 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,672
8. Memphis
Median full-time earnings: $38,843
Average round-trip commute time: 44 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,757
9. Tucson, Arizona
Median full-time earnings: $37,393
Average round-trip commute time: 45 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,860
10. Cleveland
Median full-time earnings: $37,272
Average round-trip commute time: 46 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,868
11. Buffalo, New York
Median full-time earnings: $41,062
Average round-trip commute time: 41 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,873
12. Oklahoma City
Median full-time earnings: $42,268
Average round-trip commute time: 44 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $15
Annual cost of commute: $3,873
13. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Median full-time earnings: $40,525
Average round-trip commute time: 44 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $3,911
14. Boise, Idaho
Median full-time earnings: $48,273
Average round-trip commute time: 37 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $3,933
15. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Median full-time earnings: $41,707
Average round-trip commute time: 44 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $4,013
16. Salt Lake City
Median full-time earnings: $46,628
Average round-trip commute time: 40 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $4,066
17. Omaha, Nebraska
Median full-time earnings: $47,299
Average round-trip commute time: 40 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $4,089
18. Detroit
Median full-time earnings: $35,913
Average round-trip commute time: 51 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $4,091
19. Milwaukee
Median full-time earnings: $41,076
Average round-trip commute time: 45 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $16
Annual cost of commute: $4,099
20. Richmond, Virginia
Median full-time earnings: $42,348
Average round-trip commute time: 45 minutes
Daily cost of commute: $17
Annual cost of commute: $4,182
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