How remote work and flexible schedules created a never-ending rush hour

“Who are all these people? Why are they not at work?” is the first thought that crosses Erika’s mind when she encounters crowded sidewalks or a jammed 3:44 p.m. express train from New York to New Jersey. She often follows that with a sobering realization: "I'm like, 'well, you're also not at work.'" Many workers now leave the office early to handle childcare, errands, or pets and finish the day remotely, a flexibility that has improved life for some but scattered commutes across otherwise off-peak hours.

The full remote-work era has largely ended, and its aftereffects are visible on the roads. Americans spent an average of 63 hours in traffic in 2024, congestion has spread throughout the day, and commute times have climbed back toward pre-pandemic peaks. Mean one-way travel time reached 27.6 minutes in 2019 and was 27.2 minutes in 2024, while the share of workers traveling an hour or more rose to 9.3% in 2024 from 7.7% in 2021 and compares with 9.8% in the year before the pandemic.

United States, New York-New Jersey

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