If you drive to work -- and most of us do -- your daily commute is probably something you've learned to live with. But who wouldn't want to spend less time battling traffic with the other worker bees? The data crunchers at realtor.com analyzed a bunch of factors, including the condition of local roads and bridges, to identify the easiest -- and most frustrating -- commutes among the largest 150 metros.Let's start with metros where commuting is a snap... Coming out on top is Wichita, Kansas, where the average time to and from work is a 19.4 minutes.Eugene, Oregon, has one of the highest rates of bike commuting in the US, so drivers who commute spend just a hair under 20 minutes in the car.Brownsville, Texas, has spent million of dollars repairing its highway infrastructure, and it's paid off -- commuting time is an average 20.1 minutes.Corpus Christi, Texas, has beefed up its public bus system in recent years. Coupled with the expansion of State Highway 286 to four lanes and the average commute time is just 20.4 minutes.Reno, Nevada, boasts an annual bus ridership of 8 million, and almost 70 percent of its roads are considered in fair or good condition. That translates into an average commute of 21.4 minutes.Now, let's look at the worst commutes in the US, led by.... New York City, where it can take 15 minutes to cross a midtown street. So no surprise that the average commute is 35.9 minutes.Washington, DC, has thousands and thousands of government employees and some of the worst roads in the country. The drive to work and home will each take an average of 34.4 minutes.San Francisco, California's population has grown by 8 percent since 2010, but the region's subway system continues to be neglected. The average commute is 32.1 minutes.Boston, Massachusetts, drivers are much more likely to file an insurance claim than drivers elsewhere, according to Allstate, and the high cost of housing close to the city means an average commute of 30.6 minutes.Los Angeles, California, is known for bottle-necked freeways, as well as for having one of the weakest public transit systems in the US. Driving to the office takes commuters an average of 29.6 minutes.
If you drive to work -- and most of us do -- your daily commute is probably something you've learned to live with. But who wouldn't want to spend less time battling traffic with the other worker bees? The data crunchers at realtor.com analyzed a bunch of factors, including the condition of local roads and bridges, to identify the easiest -- and most frustrating -- commutes among the largest 150 metros.
