Small towns around Charlotte face worst commutes, data shows

"York, located 30 miles southwest of uptown Charlotte, topped the list of worst commutes by a significant margin. The city has the highest rate of workers in the region whose commute takes one hour or more at 14.5%. York also saw the highest increase in travel time over the past five years, with the average trip growing by more than 6 minutes."

"While large hubs like Charlotte have the highest volume of traffic, the data suggests workers in outlying communities experience harder commutes because they must travel through heavy traffic areas from farther distances. Towns with higher rates of working from home received better scores, while those with lower-paying jobs and higher drive-alone rates ranked lower."

"Unionville has the worst commute score among North Carolina communities. Approximately 86.5% of workers in the Union County town leave the community for work, a rate that trails only the town of Dallas at 89.2%. Unionville also ranks among the five worst metro communities for average travel time at 30.9 minutes and for workers who leave for their jobs before 6 a.m. at 18.4%."

U.S. Census Bureau data analyzing 36 Charlotte metropolitan communities reveals that smaller outlying towns face significantly harder commutes than larger urban hubs. York, South Carolina, located 30 miles southwest of Charlotte, ranks worst overall with the highest percentage of workers experiencing commutes exceeding one hour. The study evaluated metrics including average travel time, morning departure times, and vehicle volume. Workers in peripheral communities must travel through heavy traffic from greater distances, contributing to longer commutes. Unionville, North Carolina, has the worst commute score among North Carolina communities, with 86.5% of workers commuting outside the town. Communities with higher remote work rates scored better, while those with lower-paying jobs and higher drive-alone rates ranked lower.

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