The number of ‘Super Commuters’ – American workers who bear through commute times of 90 minutes or more each way – grew by over 40% nationally from 2010 to 2019, more than 3x the growth rate of the overall workforce.
According to a new report by Apartment List, there are now 4.6 million super commuters in the U.S., and there is little reason to think that remote work alone will significantly alleviate this long-term trend. With the Senate’s passing of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, the explosion of super commuting offers important lessons about what is needed to ensure that America’s cities evolve in inclusive and sustainable ways.
In Charlotte that number grew by 45% as an increasing number of workers moved out to the suburbs and small towns surrounding the Charlotte region.
-
There are now 29 thousand super commuters in the Charlotte region, representing 2.3% of the region’s total workforce. The number of super commuters in the Charlotte region grew by 45.0% from 2010-2019, compared to the 28.2% growth rate of the region’s overall workforce.
-
14% of the region’s super commuters live within a 10 mile radius of Charlotte city hall, demonstrating that not all super commuters travel long distances. Nationally, 13.5% of all workers who commute by public transit are super commuters, and transit riders are 5x more likely to be super commuters compared to drivers.
-
In the Charlotte region, super commuting is most pervasive in Rowan County, where 3% of all workers are super commuters.
