MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle commute one of the worst in US, new survey says

Nov 6, 2019, 11:01 AM

Seattle housing market,, commuters, Seattle council, traffic, commute, gas cars...

Traffic in downtown Seattle. (SDOT)

(SDOT)

As commute times increase, the drive to work may be driving people to look for new jobs.

Study: Traffic costing Seattle commuters over $1,400 a year

According to a new survey from Robert Half, 45 percent of people say their trip to the office is too long – up from 30 percent in a similar 2017 survey.

The survey found that Chicago, Miami, New York and San Francisco had the most workers who quit a job because of a bad commute.

Seattle topped the list of cities where workers say that their commute has gotten worse – followed by Denver, Austin and San Francisco.

Workers also said the stress of longer travel times can make them less productive on the job.

“It’s worthwhile for employees to ask about a different schedule, modifying, working from home from time-to-time because the market is very competitive for employees,” said Brandi Britton with Robert Half.

Report ranks Seattle traffic as fifth worst in nation

The study included responses from more than 2,800 workers over the age of 18 who were employed in office environments in 28 major U.S. cities.

In 2017, The Downtown Seattle Associated estimated that 8% of downtown workers came from more than 50 miles.

KIRO 7’s Graham Johnson found “Super Commuters” in the area, including a man who traveled from Cle Elum to Tacoma and a woman who traveled from Port Ludlow to Seattle every day.

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(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)...

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