We’re a state that prides itself on biking, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. But Coloradans also overwhelmingly drive to work each day.
The Denver Business Journal noted Tuesday that some Coloradans are commuting to a job out of state. The Census report [.pdf] says that 33,969 of us are living the life in Colorado, but working across state lines.
What about the rest of us? We may not be leaving the state to go to work, but we are driving there.
According to numbers from the U.S. Census’ 2011American Community Survey, 85.2 percent of the nearly 2 million workers in Colorado 16 years and over drove to work in 2011. A whopping 75.5 percent of them drove to work alone.
What about public transit? Statewide 3.1 percent took some form of public transport, while around 2.9 percent walked. Only 1.4 percent took their bike.
It seems all that hiking & biking is all play and no work.
Think you spend a lot of time in traffic? Well, our commute times in Colorado average around 24 and a half minutes one way. The Census says a long commute is anything over 60 minutes and a mega commute is traveling 90 or more minutes and 50 or more miles to work.
And while you might think your drive or ride to work takes forever, we’re not quite a state of long commuters or mega commuters just yet.
Only 154,446 of us (6.6%) have a commute of 60 minutes or more according the report.
Just something to think about as you make your way to work.
