Commuting to work used to be a daily occurrence. Now, thanks to the shift to hybrid and remote styles of work, driving to and from the office is less common — but no less expensive, and the price tag may feel more shocking than ever.
According to a recent study conducted by ChamberofCommerce.org, commuters who drive to work experience an average annual wage loss of $5,748.05, which is equivalent to $22.11 per day. The business insight platform recently analyzed the average daily and yearly cost of commuting in 170 cities across the U.S. to find the amount of wages employees lose while sitting in traffic.
Currently, 51% of businesses require some or all employees to work in-person and just 36% of the workers have to come in five days a week, according to a survey sponsored by ResumeBuilder and conducted by Pollfish. But by the end of 2024, 90% of companies expect to require employees to work in person at least some of the time, and it will have a fiscal impact on employees.
Read more: 5 tips for creating a commute-worthy workplace
Cities in California claimed the top two spots for costliest commutes. San Francisco came in first place with a cost of $48.66 a day and $12,650.66 a year, followed closely by Fremont, which has a commute cost of $46.34 a day and $12,048.32 a year. The East Coast rounded out the top five with Washington, D.C., Jersey City and New York City, respectively.
Overall, commuters in nine out of the top 10 cities lose an average of $10,000 worth of wages or more per year on commuting, according to the data. That's nearly twice the nationwide average or $5,748.05. In comparison, the cheapest commuting cities were found to be Jackson, Mississippi ($2,535); Lubbock, Texas ($2,832); Springfield, Missouri ($2,870); Fayetteville, North Carolina ($3,014) and Brownsville, Texas ($3,140).
See which cities made ChamberofCongress.org's comprehensive list for priciest commutes:
