The percentage of U.S. workers who drove to work in a private vehicle grew from 62.7 percent in 1960 to 84.4 percent in 2011, according to Census Bureau data. Only around 9 percent commuted using a carpool in 2011, half the percentage of workers that carpooled in 1980.
Average commute times also have also increased, from a little less than 22 minutes in 1980 to just above 25 minutes in the 2000s. And some workers experience much longer commutes. In New York, New Jersey and Maryland, more than 12 percent of workers had a commute that lasted 60 minutes or more in 2011.
Here’s a snapshot of how commuting has changed in the U.S. in that last half-century:
More U.S. workers are driving to work than ever before and far too few are carpooling.
IBTimes/Lisa Mahapatra
