Car dependency has increased in the U.S. According to Apartment List, there were 593,000 super-commuters added to the workforce in 2022, citing Census Bureau data. Those people traveling at least 90 minutes each way to and from work is now at 3.7 million. However, the increase can't be viewed in a vacuum as there was a 1.56 million decline in super-commuters—mainly due to pandemic-era regulations and work-from-home statuses. There were 19 million people who stopped commuting completely in 2020.
Between 2010 and 2019 the share of super-commuters increased from 2.4% to 3.1%, and 4.6 million people were super-commuting at the peak in 2019, when 322,000 super-commuters were added. The jump from 2021 to 2022 was the largest yearly increase ever. According to the report, longer commutes could be in the future for more Americans. "Hybrid roles could make a long commute tolerable if it only needs to happen once or twice per week, especially if it unlocks better pay than what is offered by local jobs."
The data shows remote workers and those traveling farther are making more money. Those traveling at least 45 minutes to work earn roughly $50,000 annually, compared to those traveling 30 to 45 minutes, who earn less than $45,000 per year. Remote workers are at $62,000.
While super commuting is only a small portion of the workforce (2.7%), locations around the U.S. have a double-digit market share. These are mainly around major metro areas like New York City, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, California's Bay Area and Seattle.