Indianapolis commutes get even shorter

Much has changed about how we work, but there's at least one constant: short commutes.

What's happening: Indianapolis workers took less time getting to work than the national average before the COVID-19 pandemic — and still come out ahead now even as commute times have dropped nationwide.

Why it matters: It's a quality of life feature. Quicker commutes are tied to better mental health, greater job satisfaction and a host of other personal benefits.

By the numbers: 39.3% of Indianapolis workers had a commute of 15-29 minutes in 2022, up from 38.6% in 2019, per a new Axios analysis of census data.

• Another 23.8% had a commute of less than 15 minutes, up from 23.2%.

Meanwhile, the share of Indianapolis-area workers with a commute of 30 minutes to more than an hour dropped slightly between 2019 and 2022.

Of note: These findings don't include employees who work from home, and thus have a commute time of zero — or maybe a minute or two, if you stop to pour a cup of coffee on your way to your home office.

• The total number of Indianapolis-area workers who commute to a physical location dropped from 973,250 to 923,363 between 2019 and 2022.

The big picture: Nationally, commutes under 30 minutes became more commonplace, while those 30 minutes and longer became more rare.

• 36.8% of U.S. workers had a commute of 15-29 minutes in 2022, up from 35.6% in 2019.
• Another 26% had a commute of less than 15 minutes, up from 24.8%.

Between the lines: The "Great Reshuffling" led many Americans to move and/or find new jobs, and some of those who enjoyed the benefits of pandemic-era remote work decided to prioritize shorter commutes in favor of more personal or family time.

• Some degree of remote and hybrid work is persisting post-pandemic, leading to fewer cars on the road and thus less traffic and faster commutes.