Columbia SC Tops List of Shortest Commutes

The next time you catch yourself griping about the commute to your law office, be thankful you’re not in Los Angeles – where drivers spend an average of 102 hours stuck in traffic each year.

Or New York City (91 hours), Atlanta (70 hours) or Miami (64 hours).

And commuting in those locations doesn’t just eat up your time. It also costs you money (gas and car repairs are pricier in those areas) and harms your health (stress, respiratory ailments).

That’s according to a 2018 survey from the traffic data company INRIX.

“The average person will tolerate a 40-minute commute,” said one of the researchers on the Inrix report. “If a commuter spends a lot of time in congestion, it reduces the distance people want to live from where they work.”

Which may explain why motorists in Columbia, SC – who get to and from work in an average of 15.2 minutes – are smiling. And why drivers in Phoenix – who spend less than three hours a month snarled in traffic – have lives of such bliss.

Closer to home, Winston-Salem – with an average commute time of 20.6 minutes – made the list.

Top 20 Cities for Low Commute Times

Commuters in North Carolina have it made in comparison to Brooklyn and Boston – where congestion is high and gas is expensive. In fact, several NC cities rank in the Top 100 nationwide for low commute times and cheap gas.

Columbia, SC – home of the University of South Carolina and the world-famous Palmetto Peanut Boil – tops the list.

Here is the full list, courtesy of MSN and GoBanking.

1. Columbia SC. Average commute – 15.2 minutes
2. Provo UT. Average commute – 17.8 minutes
3. Wichita KS. Average commute – 18.2 minutes
4. Grand Rapids MI. Average commute – 19.3 minutes
5. Salt Lake City UT. Average commute – 19.4 minutes
6. Montgomery AL. Average commute – 19.4 minutes
7. Ann Arbor MI. Average commute – 20.4 minutes
8. Jackson MI. Average commute – 20.5 minutes
9. Winston-Salem NC. Average commute – 20.6 minutes
10. Buffalo NY. Average commute – 20.9 minutes
11. Albuquerque NM. Average commute – 21.2 minutes
12. Kansas City MO. Average commute – 21.8 minutes
13. Mobile AL. Average commute – 21.9 minutes
14. Milwaukee WI. Average commute – 22 minutes
15. Cincinnati OH. Average commute – 22.6 minutes
16. Richmond VA. Average commute – 22.8 minutes
17. Minneapolis MN. Average commute – 22.9 minutes
18. Louis MO. Average commute – 24.1 minutes
19. New Orleans LA. Average commute – 25 minutes
20. Phoenix AZ. Average commute – 26 minutes.

So how long is your daily commute?

Sources:

• INRIX 2018 traffic survey http://inrix.com/press-releases/scorecard-2017/
• Phoenix Chamber Business News http://chamberbusinessnews.com/2018/08/09/phoenix-commute-times-best-metro-in-nation-believe-it-or-not/
• MSN https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/tired-of-heavy-traffic-and-high-gas-prices-move-here/ss-BBTk2Jb?ocid=spartandhp#image=1
• GoBanking https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/car/cities-with-best-traffic-and-gas-prices/#4