How far is your drive to work? Where longest, shortest commutes are in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County workers who hate their morning commute might be surprised to learn they may have it better than many of their fellow residents.
The average Palm Beach County worker's commute, the latest data shows, has barely changed compared with the year before the COVID-19 pandemic began. But some areas' commutes are much longer than others.
The U.S. Census Bureau asks millions of Americans annually a slew of questions about themselves, such as their age, race or income, as part of its annual American Community Survey. It also asks people how long their daily commute to work takes, how they get to work and what time they leave home.
The Census Bureau has collected responses across Palm Beach County, from 2019 to 2023, about people's daily trips to work. This is the latest data available.
Residents countywide who do not work from home reported on average it took them just over 26½ minutes to undefined, down from about 27 minutes in 2019. The margin of error in both surveys was about 36 seconds.
Palm Beach County in 2023 had 721,000 workers, the latest Census estimates show. Most of them — 70% — drove alone to their jobs, a seven-point drop from 2019. About 9.5% carpooled, virtually unchanged from 2019.
Meanwhile, 15% of Palm Beach County workers did their jobs from home in 2023, nearly double the 8% four years prior.
But that work-from-home figure had declined slightly from 17% in 2021, as residents countywide got vaccinated against COVID-19 and businesses required employees to work in person more.
Still, the increase in working from home has led to fewer drivers on the road — more than 572,000 in 2023, down from 601,000 in 2019.
About 76% of workers say their households have at least two vehicles.
The largest number of workers in the county — 28% — leave for their jobs between 7 and 8 a.m. About 24% of workers leave home for their jobs before 7, about 23% between 8 and 9 a.m. and 26% after 9.
About 10% of residents work outside the county.
How does your daily drive compare? Read on to see how long residents in each part of the county said it takes for them to get to work.
Residents living in and near Palm Beach County's southernmost line are more likely than people in any other part of the county to work from home and have shorter morning commutes.
Average morning commute: About 21 minutes and 30 seconds
Estimated number of workers: More than 63,000
Percent of people working from home: 22%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 27%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 14%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 55%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 31%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 67%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 2%
Home to most of Palm Beach County's factories, lumber yards and a Florida Power & Light Co. utility plant, Riviera Beach residents have some of the shortest commutes of anyone in the 561 area code.
Average morning commute: Just over 22 minutes
Estimated number of workers: More than 51,000
Percent of people working from home: 14%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 32%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 25%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 50%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 25%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 70%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 4%
Workers living in and around the biggest city in Palm Beach County have shorter commutes than many other residents in the county, despite traffic jams on big roads such as Okeechobee Boulevard or Dixie Highway.
Average morning commute: Just over 23 minutes
Estimated number of workers: Nearly 82,000
Percent of people working from home: 10%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 29%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 29%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 46%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 26%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 71%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 5%
Many residents working from home, plus fewer overall workers compared with other urbanized parts of Palm Beach County, means shorter commutes for residents living in and around Jupiter.
Average morning commute: About 24 minutes
Estimated number of workers: About 45,000
Percent of people working from home: 18%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 28%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 19%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 55%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 26%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 69%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 5.5%
Here is what commutes are like in the rural towns of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay, southeast of Lake Okeechobee, on the western border of Palm Beach County.
Average morning commute: About 25 minutes
Estimated number of workers: More than 11,000
Percent of people working from home: Less than 2%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 35%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 42%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.: 42%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 16.5%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 68%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 8%
Residents in this stretch of Palm Beach County have commutes in line with county averages.
Average morning commute: About 26 minutes
Estimated number of workers: About 154,000
Percent of people working from home: 13%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 39%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 24%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.: 49%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 26.5%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 74%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 10%
This part of Palm Beach County covers Lake Worth Beach, Greenacres, Palm Springs, Haverhill and communities between those cities, up to the turnpike.
Average morning commute: Just over 28 minutes
Estimated number of workers: About 113,000
Percent of people working from home: 6%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 43%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 30%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 46.5%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 23%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 72%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 7%
Even as working from home has grown fast in the growing communities west of Florida's Turnpike, residents still report long commutes. Most businesses in this part of Palm Beach County operate close to State Road 7.
Average morning commute: Just under 30 minutes
Estimated number of workers: About 97,000
Percent of people working from home: 20%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 49%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 21%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 52.5%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 27%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 69%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 18%.
Residents of the semi-rural Jupiter Farms community, in the 33478 ZIP code west of Jupiter proper, are less likely to report long commutes compared with Acreage residents on the other side of Beeline Highway.
Average morning commute: Just over 32 minutes
Number of workers: More than 7,400
Percent of people working from home: 19%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 49%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 30%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 53%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 16%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 74%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 13%
With few big employers in this semi-rural stretch of Palm Beach County, residents of The Acreage and its neighboring country club community, Ibis, have the county's longest commutes.
Average morning commute: Just under 39 minutes
Number of workers: More than 15,000
Percent of people working from home: 14%
Percent of people commuting more than half an hour: 70%
Percent of people leaving for work before 7 a.m.: 36%
Percent of people leaving for work between 7 and 9 a.m.: 41%
Percent of people leaving for work at 9 a.m. or later: 23%
Percent of people who drive alone to work: 79%
Percent of people working outside Palm Beach County: 8%
Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who in Palm Beach County has the longest and shortest work commutes?
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