ALABAMA (WKRG) — There is a lot to learn from U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data. A recent list that analyzed transportation data ranked the cities to avoid if you hate commuting, and a south Alabama city ranked among them.
Most American commuters, about two-thirds, drive alone to work, according to HireAHelper.com. That’s down from pre-pandemic levels, when more than three-quarters of Americans drove alone to work. Many who once drove solo now work from home. In 2021, they made up 18% of American workers.
To determine which cities to avoid if you hate commuting, HireAHelper looked at the latest U.S. Census Bureau data and ranked metros based on a score taken from the following factors:
- Average one-way commute time (40%)
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation (20%)
- Diversity of times that people leave for work (15%)
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle (15%)
- Population density (10%)
Based on those weighted scores, Mobile came in at number 12 on their list of midsize metros to avoid if you hate commuting. Here’s the full list of midsize metros with the worst commutes:
- Port St. Lucie, Fla.
- Stockton, Calif.
- Modesto, Calif.
- Vallejo, Calif.
- Flint, Mich.
- Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
- Salisbury, Md.-Del.
- Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, S.C.-N.C.
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif.
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
- Mobile, Ala.
- Naples-Marco Island, Fla.
- Ocala, Fla.
- Deltona-Dayton Beach-Ormond Beach, Fla.
Mobile wasn’t the only Alabama city to rank for cities to avoid if you hate commuting. HireAHelper also looked at small metros. For small metros, Florence-Muscle Shoals, Ala., came in at #1 among cities to avoid if you hate commuting. Tuscaloosa, Ala., also made the list at #7. For large metros, Birmingham-Hoover came in at #9, right behind Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.
You can see a full list of cities to avoid if you hate commuting here.
