New York City-area commuters dodged a bullet after New Jersey Transit and its rail workers reached a tentative deal to avoid a strike.
Had rail workers walked off the job Monday, experts said, it would have cost NYC businesses an estimated $5.9 million per hour. Hundreds of thousands of riders would have been stranded, leading to record traffic jams on the already-clogged roadways into the city.
Of course, even without a strike, commuting to work in New York City is no picnic.
Commutes in NYC and other big cities are draining — for your wallet as well as your energy level. Recent Trulia.com studies found that commuting costs in major metropolitan areas eat up as much as 11.5 percent of median monthly household income and keep workers on the road an average 27.2 minutes each way. In some cities, up to a third of residents have a commute of 60 minutes or greater, according to a 2015 analysis from FindtheHome.com.
Based on those reports, these cities have some of the longest and most expensive commutes in the country.
— By CNBC's Kelli B. Grant
Posted 14 March 2016
New York City
Average commute time: 34.7 minutes (34.8 minutes for renters, 34.8 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 1 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 24.5 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 6.5 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 99 of 100
Washington, D.C.
Average commute time: 32.8 minutes (30.6 minutes for renters, 33.1 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 3 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 9.1 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 8 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 64 of 100
Newark, N.J.
Average commute time: 31.1 minutes (28.7 minutes for renters, 31.3 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 4 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 16.5 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 8.8 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 28 of 100
Chicago
Average commute time: 30.8 minutes (30.8 minutes for renters, 30.4 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 5 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 14.6 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 8.6 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 40 of 100
Boston
Average commute time: 30.4 minutes (30.2 minutes for renters, 30.7 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 6 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 9.6 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 8.5 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 42 of 100
Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
Average commute time: 29.8 minutes (27.1 minutes for renters, 30.9 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 8 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: NA
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 10.3 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 3 of 100
Baltimore
Average commute time: 29.4 minutes (28.6 minutes for renters, 29.1 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 9 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 12.6 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 8.6 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 39 of 100
Atlanta
Average commute time: 29.2 minutes (27.4 minutes for renters, 29.4 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 10 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: NA
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 9.6 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 9 of 100
Houston
Average commute time: 28 minutes (25.6 minutes for renters, 29.2 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 12 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: NA
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 10.3 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 4 of 100
Miami
Average commute time: 27.8 minutes (27.3 minutes for renters, 29.3 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 13 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: NA
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 11.5 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 1 of 100
Los Angeles
Average commute time: 27.6 minutes (27.8 minutes for renters, 28.4 minutes for owners)
Ranking in Trulia.com commute time: 14 of 50
Residents whose commute tops one hour: 11.2 percent
Portion of median monthly income spent on commute: 10.8 percent
Ranking in Trulia.com commute cost: 2 of 100