Here's Just How Long It Takes To Get To Work In NYC

NEW YORK — There's a good reason New Yorkers' morning commutes often feel like an endless slog: It takes longer to get to work in the Big Apple than any other large American city, a new study shows.

Workers heading into the city spend an average of 43 minutes commuting, according to an analysis published Tuesday by Geotab, a fleet management company. That's about 65% longer than San Diego, which had the nation's shortest average commute time at 26 minutes.

Geotab examined commute times in the 20 largest U.S. cities using a tabulation of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The firm also created maps for each metropolitan area that visualize commuting patterns.

Unsurprisingly, the analysis shows straphangers face tougher trips than car users. It takes an average of 53 minutes for the city's 1.8 million public transit users to get to work, compared with just 40 minutes for the roughly 867,000 drivers, the study found.

Only 4% of New Yorkers can get to work within 30 minutes, Geotab says. And commuting takes longer than an hour for 16% of the city's workers, a rate that jumps to 29% for public transit riders, the analysis shows.

While New Yorkers generally face the longest commutes, the study indicates people in other cities have a tougher time getting to work depending on how they travel. Washington, D.C. is home to the lengthiest average car commute at 41 minutes, while it takes a whopping 54 minutes on average to get to work by public transit in Los Angeles, according to Geotab.

Aside from San Diego, New Yorkers desperate for easier commutes could consider Phoenix or Minneapolis, where getting to work takes an average of 26 and 27 minutes, respectively, the study found.

But those who do move would probably prefer driving, as commuting by public transit in those cities takes 50 and 39 minutes on average, respectively, the analysis shows.

"The stark contrast between how many cities are easily reachable by car versus those that are easily reachable by public transit suggests that there is still some way to go in ensuring that these cities can be accessed in a reasonable amount of time regardless of your mode of transport," Maria Sotra, Geotab's vice president of marketing, said in a news release.

See Geotab's full report here.