Puget Sound is the third-fastest growing mega-commuter region in the country, according to new U.S. Census data compiled by The Seattle Times. Mega commuters are considered people who spend at least 90 minutes commuting one-way.
In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area, the number of mega-commuters went from 32,892 in 2010 to 56,715 in 2015 -- an increase of 72 percent. That's third-worst in the country for the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas.
It's much worse in the Bay area and Silicon Valley. Mega-commuter volumes in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward region rose 131 percent over those five years. In nearby San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, they rose 123 percent.
The average commute time in the Puget Sound region for the first time reached more than a half-hour: 30 minutes, 12 seconds.
The Times analysis points out this increase is partly by choice. Some people are choosing to move far away to afford a nicer home. The sacrifice? A longer commute.
