The Courier Postreports that 4 million people now work from home and more people are driving longer distance because they want to live in the suburbs.
The Commuting in America study by the Transportation Research Board also found that more commuters are traveling from suburb to suburb -- rather than the traditional commute from suburb to city.
"As more employers move out of cities to be closer to skilled suburban workers, the suburbs now account for the majority of job destinations," the report noted.
The board, part of the National Academies, has analyzed commuting trends since 1986, largely using census data.
According to the latest analysis, the number of new solo drivers grew by almost 13 million from 1990 to 2000. The number of workers with commutes lasting more than 60 minutes grew by almost 50 percent over that period. And, compared with the previous decade, more Americans are leaving for work between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
You can read a 12 page list of facts from the study in this PDF file.
