increased from 25 to 27.6 minutes between 20, according to the Census Bureau. The average travel time to work in the U.S.

Businesses catering to commuters have closed and retail vacancies in Midtown Manhattan have soared.Ĭommuting has been unpopular for ages, and economists say it hurts productivity. Keycard swipes were down by 62% since early 2020 as of May 18, according to Kastle, compared with an average decline of 57% for the country’s biggest cities. It also has one of the country’s lowest office-occupancy rates. The New York metropolitan area had the longest average commute time before the pandemic at 37.7 minutes, according to the Census Bureau. The Journal’s analysis covers 24 of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. Meanwhile, six of the 10 cities with the smallest drop in office occupancy have average commutes of less than 30 minutes. for The Wall Street JournalĮight of the 10 major cities with the biggest drop in office occupancy during the pandemic had an average one-way commute of more than 30 minutes in 2019.

The New York metropolitan area had the longest average commute time before the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. The interior of an office building in Midtown Manhattan.