How Do Middlesex County Commute Times Compare?

Middlesex County's steady increase in commuter traffic finally has residents spending more than 30 minutes on average getting to work.

According to new U.S. Census survey numbers, commuters were estimated to have taken 30.7 minutes traveling to work in 2015, up from 29.8 in 2014. It's an even sharper increase from the 28.2 minutes it was estimated to take in 2011.

What gives? Well, for one thing, there's a lot more commuters. The numbers say there were 848,248 workers age 16 or older in Middlesex County last year, up from 830,969 the year before. Five years ago, that number was 797,247.

Just under 68 percent of the people drove alone to work last year, while just under 7 percent carpooled. Nearly 13 percent took public transportation, up from 11.5 in 2014. The percentage of people who walked to work stayed about the same at 4.9 percent, and the percentage of people who worked from home dipped to 5.5 to 6.

Statewide, it took the nearly 3,500,000 workers 29.7 minutes to get to work, an increase of almost two minutes compared to 2011.

Nationwide, the average travel time was 26.4 minutes in 2015, an increase of more than a minute compared to five years earlier.

How do you get to work? How long does it usually take you? Email mike.carraggi@patch.com with your responses