Study: Dale City Has Nation's Worst Commute

Stuck in traffic a lot? You're not alone. It takes Dale City residents longer to get to work than the residents of any other midsize city in America, according to a new study.

The study done by On Numbers, a Bizjournals.com blog, compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey. It awarded points for every commuter who takes less than 30 minutes to get from home to his or her job, and it took away points for every commuter above that threshold.

Among 483 cities, villages, incorporated towns and census designated places with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, Dale City ranked dead last.

The study showed that nearly half of Dale City residents—45.4 percent—take at least 45 minutes to get to work. A much smaller number—11.77 percent—had a commute of less than 15 minutes.

Those times put Dale City far worse than the national average, with 15.5 percent having a commute longer than 45 minutes, and 28.7 percent having a commute of less than 15 minutes.

The best commute in America for midsize cities was in Grand Forks, N.D., where more than two-thirds of workers get to work in less than 15 minutes.

You can see the full rankings, including small and large cities, at On Numbers.