Worst commutes in Massachusetts

Written by:
February 4, 2019
Updated on February 14, 2019
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Worst commutes in Massachusetts

The average American spends nearly an hour every day in a single-occupancy vehicle getting to and from work. For those who live in big, dense cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the time wasted sitting in traffic increases substantially. But which cities have the worst commutes?

Stacker has collected data from the U.S Census Bureau to determine which Massachusetts residents spend the most time traveling to work. The data, from 2017 (the most recent available) includes commuters 16 years of age or older and only people who do not work remotely.

Cities were ranked by average commute, and any ties were broken by commuters with 60 minutes or more of one-way travel time. Whether driving or taking public transport, train delays, bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion, and unexpected construction all contribute to endless frustration and bouts of road rage all over the country.

Read on to find out the worst Massachusetts cities to live in if you are especially susceptible to traffic-induced anger.

RELATED: Best commutes in Massachusetts

#25. Essex County (East)—Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, and Newburyport

- Average one-way commute time to work: 30.2 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 18%
- Workers 16 years and over: 105,409

#24. Middlesex County—Watertown, Arlington, Belmont, and Winchester

- Average one-way commute time to work: 30.4 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 69,582

#23. Boston City—Dorchester and South Boston

- Average one-way commute time to work: 30.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 11.2%
- Workers 16 years and over: 69,660

#22. Middlesex County (outside Lowell)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 13.2%
- Workers 16 years and over: 62,349

#21. Billerica, Andover, Tewksbury, and Wilmington

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 14.5%
- Workers 16 years and over: 69,926

#20. Norfolk (Northeast) and Middlesex (Southeast) Counties (west of Boston City)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 13.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 51,231

#19. Plymouth and Bristol Counties (outside Brockton)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16.8%
- Workers 16 years and over: 65,269

#18. Plymouth and Norfolk Counties—Brockton City, Stoughton, and Avon

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16.4%
- Workers 16 years and over: 61,739

#17. Bristol County—Taunton City, Mansfield, Norton, Raynam, Dighton, and Berkley

- Average one-way commute time to work: 31.9 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 14.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 67,270

#16. Essex County (South)—Lynn City, Swampscott, and Nahant

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16.8%
- Workers 16 years and over: 54,855

#15. Middlesex County (East)—Somerville and Everett

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 12%
- Workers 16 years and over: 75,783

#14. Suffolk County (North)—Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32.5 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 14.9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 57,609

#13. Middlesex (West Central) and Worcester (East) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32.6 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 15.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 62,561

#12. Essex County (Central)—Amesbury

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 56,621

#11. Middlesex County (East)—Malden and Medford

- Average one-way commute time to work: 33.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 14%
- Workers 16 years and over: 64,359

#10. Boston City—Mattapan and Roxbury

- Average one-way commute time to work: 33.4 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 17.6%
- Workers 16 years and over: 59,371

#9. Worcester and Middlesex Counties (outside Leominster, Fitchburg, and Gardner)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 33.5 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16%
- Workers 16 years and over: 55,183

#8. Norfolk County (Central)—Randolph, Norwood, Dedham, Canton, and Holbrook

- Average one-way commute time to work: 33.6 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 16.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 63,020

#7. Boston City—Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury

- Average one-way commute time to work: 33.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 14.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 74,452

#6. Plymouth County (East)—Plymouth, Marshfield, Scituate, Duxbury, and Kingston

- Average one-way commute time to work: 34.1 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 21.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 65,858

#5. Middlesex (far Southwest), Norfolk (Northwest), and Worcester (far East) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 34.5 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 18.9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 63,435

#4. Plymouth County (Central)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 34.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 18.9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 58,362

#3. Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset

- Average one-way commute time to work: 34.9 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 22.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 68,304

#2. Norfolk County (Northeast)—Quincy and Milton

- Average one-way commute time to work: 35 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 17.8%
- Workers 16 years and over: 65,932

#1. Norfolk County (Southwest)—Greater Franklin

- Average one-way commute time to work: 35.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 20.8%
- Workers 16 years and over: 68,749

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