What Does Telecommuting's Rise Mean for Traffic and Transit? Below is interesting reading and information from online edition of GOVERNING. Click
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If the trend continues, it carries numerous potential implications.
by Mike Maciag | October 30, 2017
The number of Americans working from home saw its largest ever year-over-year increase in 2016. (TNS/Taimy Alvarez)
Americans haven’t really altered their commuting habits all that much recently, at least not nationally. The Census Bureau’s latest estimates find that the vast majority of workers -- 76 percent -- drove alone to work last year, the same percentage as a decade ago.
But one thing is changing: More people aren’t going into an office at all. Americans primarily working from home recorded its largest ever year-over-year increase in 2016, climbing to 5 percent of the workforce. Using the Census estimates, we compared each metro area’s average share of workers telecommuting in 2015 and 2016 with averages for 2006 and 2007. In 186 of the 252 areas with comparable data, the share increased.
If this trend continues, Americans working from home will soon overtake the share of people who use public transportation, as it already has in many regions. The slow but steady shift carries numerous potential implications for transportation systems.
