CT Ranked #20 in U.S. in Commuters Driving Alone; Average Commute is 25 Minutes

In Connecticut, 78.6 percent of commuters drove alone in their own car, truck or van, ranking the state #20 in the nation.  Data compiled by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation also indicated that 8.2 percent carpooled, 3 percent of the state’s commuters walk to work, 4.8 percent use public transportation, and 4.1 percent worked from home. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) included the data in State Transportation Statistics 2014, a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states. The data was included in the 12th annual edition of the report, a companion document to the National Transportation Statistics (NTS), which is updated quarterly on the BTS website.

Nationally, in comparison, 76.3 percent of Americans drove alone; 9.7 percent carpooled; 5 percent rode transit; 2.8 percent walked; 4.4 percent worked at home; and 1.8 percent used other modes.

The daily commute to work takes 24.8 minutes on average, for Connecticut residents.  The national average was 25.7 minutes using data compiled in 2012, the most recent year available. 

The smallest percentage driving along in their vehicle?  Alaska (66.2%), Hawaii (65.2%), Oregon (71.2%), Massachusetts (71.9%), and Washington (72.2%).  The highest?  Alabama (85.3%), Tennessee (83.6%), Mississippi (83.5%), Ohio (83.3%), South Carolina (82.9%), and Kentucky (82.7%).

Only seven states had a mean travel time to work of less than 20 minutes:  Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.  South Dakota’s 16.7 minutes was the quickest commute.