Longest Commutes

Forbes magazine's analysis found four of the 12 longest average commutes in the nation come from this region, including Dale City, Virginia, at #12; Clinton, Maryland, at #11; Fort Washington, Maryland, at #8; and Linton Hills, Virginia, just outside of Bristow, as #1. The commute averages 46.3 minutes. The national average for a commute is 25 minutes.

To some Washington area commuters who spend more than an hour in the car each way, 46 minutes might not seem like a lot. But it's an average that includes people with five- and 10-minute commutes. The 46.3 minute average is longer than commutes in the New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago areas.

What these communities have in common is their distance not only from the District, the region's traditional jobs core, but also from the suburban job centers that have emerged over the past 30 years. It illustrates just how many Washington area workers have embraced the tradeoff between a long commute and affordable suburban living. The crisscrossing across the region from home to work to home again is one of the key reasons why the Washington area has the second-worst traffic congestion in the country, behind Los Angeles.