The Way We Work: How Long Is Your Commute?

It's Labor Day, which means many Birmingham residents have the day off. But when they do go to work, how long does it take for them to get there and where are they going?

According to a statistical report of commutes by The Business Journals, the largest percentage of Birmingham commuters — 40.4 percent — travels 15-29 minutes during their daily commute.

In fact, according to the report, with populations between 10,000 and 50,000. While the study awarded points for all commuters who traveled less than 30 minutes to work, it also reflected the ease of travel and economic self-sufficiency.

That compares to figures from the 2010 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, in which the average commute time for a U.S. worker between 2006-10 was around 25 minutes.

But where are Birmingham residents going when they go to work? According the report from The Business Journals, almost 30 percent of Birmingham residents are traveling less than 15 minutes on their way to work.

Meanwhile, a report from the Census Transportation Planning Package says that a large percentage of Birmingham residents actually work where they live, with almost 20 percent traveling an average of one mile to work.

After that, Birmingham commuters are going to:

• 10.7 percent commute to Troy
• 4.4 percent are going to Bloomfield Hills
• 4.1 commute to the Farmington and Farmington Hills area
• Other popular cities for Birmingham residents to work include: Beverly Hills, Southfield, Auburn Hills, Lathrup Village and Sterling Heights

The report also outlines where commuters who work in Birmingham are coming from. Besides the Birmingham area itself, Birmingham's workers are traveling from Troy, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Berkley and Ferndale.