Worst Suburban Commutes: Find Out How Wheaton Ranks

When it comes to the worst commutes in Chicagoland, Wheaton ranks No. 67 on a list recently released by consumer finance website NerdWallet.com.

“Whether they are commuting downtown or to Schaumburg, Chicago-area workers can expect long and expensive trips,” NerdWallet noted. “They waste 51 hours each year as a result of congestion.”

NerdWallet said it analyzed the two biggest commuting costs — time and money — when coming up with its rankings. The site determined the “worst” suburbs for Chicago-area commutes by analyzing:

1. How expensive is gas? (10%) We looked at average gas prices in each county.
2. How expensive is insurance? (15%) Insurance is a large cost for commuters. Annual insurance premiums differ greatly from place to place, so we wanted to accurately assess the financial burden it placed on commuters.
3. How long are workers’ commutes? (55%) We looked at the length of the average worker’s one-way commute.
4. Are there many commuters? (20%) We looked at the percentage of workers in each suburb who drive alone to work. A suburb with a large percentage of solo commuters will often face increased congestion, which can lead to even longer commutes.

According to the site, the average commute time for Chicago-area drivers is 28.38 minutes, which is close to the 27.5-minute average commute time for Wheaton drivers. While Cook County has the highest average gas prices at $3.89, NerdWallet reported, Wheaton commuters pay an average price of $3.73.

As far as insurance premiums go, Wheaton drivers pay an average of $930.16, compared to the Chicago area’s highest average of $1,340.81, found in Harvey. About 72 percent of Wheaton commuters drive to work alone, Nerdwallet reports.

The dubious honor of worst commute went to No. 1 pick Calumet City. Plainfield, Algonquin, Romeoville, Tinley Park, Orland Park and Oak Forest also ranked in the top 10, according to NerdWallet.

View all the rankings here.