63,000 Workers In Metro Boston Are ‘Super-Commuting’ 90+ Minutes to Work

By Chris Salviati

New data from the US Census Bureau shows 3.7 million Americans spend at least 90 minutes each way traveling to work, a practice known as “super-commuting.” These extreme commutes are getting more common as suburbanization accelerates, and employers pull back on remote work.

Our newest report analyzes super-commuting: its history, its drivers, its geography, and its implications. We include interactive data for metros and counties, revealing:

• As of 2022, there are 62,898 super-commuters in the Boston metro area, accounting for 3% of all commuters. This ranks #15 in the country among large metros.
• Generally, super-commuting is most common for transit users, workers who live on the fringes of the metropolitan area, or those who commute to separate metros entirely.
• It is also most common in higher income brackets, where workers are more willing to endure long commutes to access higher-wage jobs.