What Are the Best Cities for Commuting to Work?
What's the best city to practice law? When making this calculation for your own career, a range of factors may come into play, including the affordability of cities for young lawyers. The daily commute is also an important factor. There's no point in holding a great job if you can't get there.
According to an American Community Survey from 2013, New Yorkers have the longest commutes (40 minutes on average) while residents of Oklahoma City have the shortest (21 minutes on average). Aside from this blunt statistic, your ideal commute may come down to your preference for taking public transit, driving, or riding your bike. Here's how cities compare:
Top 5 Cities for Public Transit
If you prefer commuting to work on public transit, you'll have the best luck living in one of these major cities, according to the "transit score" accumulated by Walk Score:
- New York City (Transit Score: 81.2)
- San Francisco (Transit Score: 80.5)
- Boston (Transit Score: 74.8)
- Washington, D.C. (Transit Score: 70.4)
- Philadelphia (Transit Score: 67)
Runners up: Chicago, Seattle, and Baltimore.
Top 5 Cities for Driving (Least Rush-Hour Traffic!)
Driving is the default mode of transpiration for most Americans. It's also the only realistic option for many Americans who don't live in one of the transit-friendly cities mentioned above.
The following cities have the least rush hour traffic. In Greensboro, the top city, the rush-hour trip takes only 0.6% longer than a rush-hour trip. The other top cities are comparably traffic-free at peak times
- Greensboro, NC
- Wichita, KS
- Fort Myers, FL
- Omaha, NE
- Augusta, GA
Top 5 Cities for Biking
Biking is the ideal transportation: it's cheap, eco friendly, and it helps you stay in shape. According to Time Magazine, these are the top cities for biking to work:
- Portland (highest percentage of bikers for the largest U.S. cities)
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Minneapolis
- Philadelphia
Quality of life is important, and your commute affects your quality of life. What else is important to your day-to-day work life? Tweet us @FindLawLP and let us know.
Related Resources:
- How Long Is your Daily Commute? See How 30 U.S. Cities Compare (Fast Company)
- The 10 Worst Cities for Young Attorneys (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Where is the Best Place for a Young Law Grad to Live? (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)