Small towns around Charlotte face worst commutes, data shows

CHARLOTTE — York, South Carolina, has the most difficult commute in the Charlotte metropolitan area according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Monday.

The rankings, which evaluated 36 communities with more than 5,000 residents, found that smaller towns on the outskirts of the region often face the longest and most challenging trips to work, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The study compared cities and towns across the Charlotte metro area based on metrics including average travel time, morning departure times and the total number of vehicles on the road.

Click here for live Charlotte traffic maps >>>

While large hubs like Charlotte have the highest volume of traffic, the data suggests workers in outlying communities experience harder commutes because they must travel through heavy traffic areas from farther distances. Towns with higher rates of working from home received better scores, while those with lower-paying jobs and higher drive-alone rates ranked lower.

York, located 30 miles southwest of uptown Charlotte, topped the list of worst commutes by a significant margin. The city has the highest rate of workers in the region whose commute takes one hour or more at 14.5%. York also saw the highest increase in travel time over the past five years, with the average trip growing by more than 6 minutes. Data also shows more than a quarter of the city’s nearly 9,000 residents cross state lines for work.

While York topped the overall list, Unionville has the worst commute score among North Carolina communities. Approximately 86.5% of workers in the Union County town leave the community for work, a rate that trails only the town of Dallas at 89.2%. Unionville also ranks among the five worst metro communities for average travel time at 30.9 minutes and for workers who leave for their jobs before 6 a.m. at 18.4%.

In South Carolina, Chester came in second place behind York for the worst commute. The city of 5,200 residents has the lowest work from home rate in the region at 1.6% and the highest percentage of workers who drive alone at 85.3%. Additionally, 73% of jobs in Chester have wages under $50,000.

While small towns struggle with long individual trips, the city of Charlotte deals with the highest volume of traffic. Data shows Charlotte has 297,815 vehicles on the road, the highest in the region. Charlotte commuters spend a combined 8.6 million minutes in transit every day.

But what about the best commutes? In contrast to the high-traffic areas, some communities have maintained shorter commutes. Davidson, located 20 miles north of Charlotte, has an average commute of 24.2 minutes. The town experienced a 1.9-minute drop in travel time over the last five years and has a work from home rate of 30.7%. Davidson also has the lowest rate in the region of commuters heading to jobs that pay less than $50,000.

The Village of Marvin in Union County reported the highest work from home rate in the region at 42.5%. While Marvin has the lowest number of vehicles on the road at 1,675, its average travel time of 29.3 minutes is the ninth highest in the area. No workers in Marvin reported leaving for their jobs before 6 a.m.

Commute times also improved in some northern suburbs. Cornelius saw the greatest five-year improvement in the region, with travel times dropping by 3.9 minutes. Pineville, located 10 miles south of Charlotte, has an average commute time of 23.5 minutes, the fourth lowest in the study. Both Pineville and Cornelius tied for the third-best overall commute score.

VIDEO: Public outcry prompts NCDOT to extend I-77 toll lane project feedback period