Four Valley cities rank in top 25 places with decreased commute times

If it feels like the commute to work has gotten shorter, it probably has.

Four Arizona cities rank in the top 25 places where commutes have decreased, according to a study from business resource website LLC.org. They are Mesa (No. 4), Gilbert (No. 12), Chandler (No. 21) and Peoria (No. 25).

The study revealed that despite a nationwide increase in the average daily commute, Mesa (10.7%), Gilbert (5.5%), Chandler (3.8%) and Peoria (2.9%) commuters have seen decreases in their daily commute times over a 10-year period.

In a separate study last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that Peoria and Gilbert landed among the top 25 cities in the country with the costliest commutes.

The worst cities for commuting in the Phoenix metro include Glendale (No. 47), Peoria (No. 53), Gilbert (No. 66), Phoenix (No. 76), Chandler (No. 100), Mesa (No. 107), Scottsdale (No. 110), Tucson (No. 123) and Tempe (No. 129).

To determine the rankings, LLC analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data. The study analyzed commute time for full-time workers in 170 most populated cities in the country, as well as across 530 detailed occupations. The cities were ranked based on average commute times for workers aged 16 and older.

Commute times were calculated based on full-time workers who work 49 weeks per year on a five-day workweek, excluding federal holidays and paid time off.

The analysis also compared average commute times over the last decade, from 2012 to 2022, which is the most recent data available. 

Breakdown of Arizona's top 25 cities

Here is a look at commute time changes in the Arizona cities that saw the biggest improvements.

No. 4 Mesa

• Average daily commute in 2022: 45.2 minutes

• Average daily commute 2012: 50.6 minutes

No. 12 Gilbert

• Average daily commute in 2022: 52 minutes

• Average daily commute 2012: 55 minutes

No. 21 Chandler 

• Average daily commute in 2022: 45.6 minutes

• Average daily commute 2012: 47.4 minutes

No. 25 Peoria 

• Average daily commute in 2022: 53.8 minutes

• Average daily commute 2012: 55.4 minutes

Additional findings

• More than 45.5 million Americans have a daily commute that’s at least an hour or more.

• Year-over-year, the average roundtrip commute has increased by nine hours per year.

• On average, a typical full-time worker in America who commutes to work spends nine full days per year commuting, or 215.6 hours.