Increase in L.A. County Super Commuters

Rising apartment rents in Los Angeles have pushed many residents out to the Inland Empire—and as a result has increased the number of super commuters working in Los Angeles County. According to a report from Apartment List, Los Angeles County has 3.6% super commuters, defined as residents that travel more than 90 minutes each way for work. By comparison, nationally, 2.9% of works are super commuters.

[The amount of super commuters in Los Angeles County] is greater than the national average of 2.9%, but not by a significant amount,” Christopher Salviati of Apartment List, tells GlobeSt.com. “Super commuting is more common, however, among workers who live in the Inland Empire, and are likely commuting to L.A. Riverside County has the region’s highest super commuter share at 7.1%, followed by San Bernardino County at 6.2%.”

When you isolate for public transit, the number of super commuters increases substantially. “Among workers who commute by public transit in the L.A. metro, 14.5% are super commuters, compared to 3.2% of those who drive to work,” says Salviati. “L.A.’s metro does not have robust coverage throughout the city, and bus networks are significantly less efficient. Many workers who rely on public transit to get to work are likely to face lengthy commute times if they do not live close to a stop on a route that takes them directly to their office.”

Super commuters are also disproportionately coming from the Inland Empire, revealing that the heart of the problem is related to the cost of housing. To reduce the number of super commuters, the city will need to support the creation of affordable housing. “The fact that super commuting is so common among those who live in the Inland Empire speaks to the lack of affordable housing closer to downtown L.A. Meanwhile, the high rate of super commuting among transit riders speaks to the inefficiency of the region’s transit network,” says Salviati. “Construction of more affordable housing units, as well as increased investment in public transit could help alleviate the rise in super commuting.”

While there are solutions, the problem is currently getting worse. “The data shows that this issue has been growing worse in recent years,” says Salviati. “From 2009 to2017, the overall workforce in the Greater L.A. region—including the Inland Empire—grew by 6.7%. Over the same period, the number of super commuters 24.8%.”