Report: San Francisco commute among the worst in nation

San Francisco has the fifth worst commute time in the country, according to Census Bureau data analyzed in a new study on the evolution of U.S. commutes since the pandemic.

Yardi Kube analyzed census data to determine the average time a commuter spends to get to work in the 50 largest U.S. cities by population.

The report notes San Francisco had the largest rise among the top 10 cities, with a 1.4-minute commuter increase from 29.5 in 2022 to 30.9 minutes in 2023.  Oakland saw a smaller increase of 0.3 minutes. These upticks may reflect growing congestion, population shifts or transit challenges, the report notes. 

Key stats behind San Francisco’s commute time evolution:

• San Francisco’s average one-way commute time of 30.9 minutes ranked as the fifth worst, getting past the 30-minute mark and joining cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
• San Francisco’s number of work-from-home employees declined by 26% since 2022, with almost 39,000 workers added to the commute mix.
• Compared to 2022 when the pandemic started to subside, San Francisco recorded the 6th largest commute time increase in the nation,  which equals to 11.7 extra hours spent travelling to work per year.

Nationally, the worst commutes were led by New York City, where the average travel time is 40.1 minutes, followed by Chicago, and Los Angeles. In contrast, commuters in Tulsa spend the least amount of time on the road — 19.1 minutes — followed by Wichita and Omaha.

Paradoxically, Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco saw drops in commute times when compared to 2019, the report noted. In 2023, commuters in Oakland saved approximately 4.5 minutes on their one-way trips, 13% less time on the road than in 2019, adding up to 37.5 hours saved over the year. San Jose saved 3.8 minutes, while San Francisco showed a time savings 3.7 minutes compared to 2019.

Read the full study and methodology: https://www.yardikube.com/blog/back-on-the-road-u-s-commutes-increase-amid-a-hybrid-work-era/