Metropolises with the most challenging commutes in Minnesota
When the COVID-19 crisis turned millions of Americans into remote employees, it also suddenly halted numerous commutes that frame the workday. As some of these employees head back to the office, discussions surrounding the downsides of commutes have intensified. For a period, these workers relished additional time in the mornings and evenings that was no longer spent merely traveling to and from their jobs—an unpaid segment of the day that drained time and energy. And it’s certainly not an insignificant amount of time: Before the pandemic, the typical commute in the U.S. exceeded 27 minutes one way, according to Census Bureau statistics. This represented a historical peak. When aggregated, 27 minutes each way amounts to 54 minutes daily, or four-and-a-half hours weekly. That’s 18 hours monthly and 216 hours annually devoted to commuting.
Those who commute understand it’s not especially picturesque. While a very small fraction of employees exist in the perfect scenario—a short, walkable stretch from their workplace, alongside a sidewalk that is presumably regularly cleared of snow in the winter and where the temperatures don’t lead to a sweaty arrival in the summer—most contend with congested routes, erratic public transport, and the irritations that accompany both. Naturally, not every commute is as troublesome as others, and certain cities do offer better public transit and traffic patterns.
Stacker put together a ranking of the cities with the most difficult commutes in Minnesota utilizing data from the Census Bureau. Cities with a minimum of 5,000 working adults are ordered by the longest average commute as of the 2021 five-year estimate.
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#25. Lakeville
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26 minutes
– National rank: #870
#24. Prior Lake
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26 minutes
– National rank: #865
#23. Waconia
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26.3 minutes
– National rank: #822
#22. Champlin
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26.7 minutes
– National rank: #777
#21. Lino Lakes
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26.9 minutes
– National rank: #752
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#20. North St. Paul
– Average time spent commuting to work: 26.9 minutes
– National rank: #748
#19. Savage
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.1 minutes
– National rank: #732
#18. Buffalo
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.3 minutes
– National rank: #704
#17. West St. Paul
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.5 minutes
– National rank: #680
#16. Andover
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.8 minutes
– National rank: #640
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#15. Otsego
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.8 minutes
– National rank: #627
#14. Rogers
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.9 minutes
– National rank: #624
#13. Forest Lake
– Average time spent commuting to work: 27.9 minutes
– National rank: #622
#12. Elk River
– Average time spent commuting to work: 28.3 minutes
– National rank: #573
#11. Monticello
– Average time spent commuting to work: 28.3 minutes
– National rank: #571
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#10. Ramsey
– Average time spent commuting to work: 28.4 minutes
– National rank: #562
#9. Farmington
– Average time spent commuting to work: 28.7 minutes
– National rank: #530
#8. Rosemount
– Average time spent commuting to work: 28.7 minutes
– National rank: #529
#7. Austin
– Average time spent commuting to work: 29.2 minutes
– National rank: #483
#6. St. Michael
– Average time spent commuting to work: 29.3 minutes
– National rank: #474
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#5. Ham Lake
– Average time spent commuting to work: 29.8 minutes
– National rank: #414
#4. Minneapolis
– Average time spent commuting to work: 30.7 minutes
– National rank: #336
#3. North Branch
– Average time spent commuting to work: 31.8 minutes
– National rank: #249
#2. East Bethel
– Average time spent commuting to work: 33.1 minutes
– National rank: #169
#1. Big Lake
– Average time spent commuting to work: 33.2 minutes
– National rank: #164
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By Stacker
