January 2, 2019

Here at Kittelson, we like to think of ourselves as transportation nerds… and that transportation nerds get to work differently than the average US commuter.

To confirm this hypothesis, we decided to examine our 2018 commute patterns by distributing an online survey to all Kittelson employees. This post shares results across our 25 offices, and gives you a window into how we get to work.

Mode

Less than half of Kittelson staff drives alone to work, a percentage significantly lower than the national average (76 percent). But not all offices commute the same way. The chart below illustrates big differences in mode share when we compare across offices.

if(“undefined”==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”]={},window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”].embedDeltas={“100″:858,”200″:805,”300″:805,”400″:778,”500″:778,”700″:778,”800″:778,”900″:778,”1000”:778},window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”].iframe=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-dG3G2”),window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper[“dG3G2″].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+”px”,window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(“undefined”!=typeof a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var b in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])if(“dG3G2″==b)window.datawrapper[“dG3G2”].iframe.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][b]+”px”});

Home-to-Work Distance

We also see a weak but noticeable relationship between home-to-work distances (as the crow flies) and the percentage of commuters that drive alone. The chart below provides fodder for conversations about city size and transportation systems.

if(“undefined”==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”]={},window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].embedDeltas={“100″:704,”200″:625,”300″:599,”400″:599,”500″:572,”700″:572,”800″:572,”900″:572,”1000”:572},window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].iframe=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-3dVFw”),window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+”px”,window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(“undefined”!=typeof a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var b in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])if(“3dVFw”==b)window.datawrapper[“3dVFw”].iframe.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][b]+”px”});

And The Award Goes To…

What’s an office competition without awards? Based on the survey data, we are proud to present our 2018 commute champions:

 


Short Hoppers (shortest average home-to-work distance)

 

#1: Sacramento

#2: Philadelphia

 

 

Long Trekkers (longest average home-to-work distance)

 

#1: Tampa

#2: Reston

 

 

Chevrolegs (highest ped/bike %)

 

#1: Sacramento

#2: Philadelphia

 

 

NUMTOTs (highest transit %)

 

#1: Washington

#2: Portland

 

 

Multimodal Beasts (lowest SOV%)

 

#1: Washington (wins tiebreaker on number of respondents)

#2: Boston

Honorable mentions: Philadelphia, Sacramento, Cincinnati

 

 

Gearheads (highest SOV%)

 

#1: Tucson (wins tiebreaker on longest distance)

#2: College Station

Honorable mentions: Tallahassee, Phoenix, Bend

 

How Do You Get to Work?

Now it’s your turn! We want to know the commute patterns of Kittelson clients, colleagues and friends. Head to our poll on Twitter and you’ll see the results in real time:

This analysis was inspired by a similar survey we conducted in 2016. To compare our results from two years ago, check out our old post here.