How Does Barrington's Commute Rank?

Barrington has one of the longer commutes in the U. S., for a community of its size, according to The Business Journals’ On Numbers statistical study of commute times. 

The study ranked Barrington 2,659 of 3,012 communities with 10,000 to 50,000 residents. More than half of Barrington residents travel more than one-half hour from home to work, according to the study.

On Numbers analyzed commuting data from the five-year version of the 2009 American Community Survey, which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The On Numbers study revealed that 51.61 percent of Barrington residents report commute times that are 30 minutes or more. Nearly one-third, 31.57 percent of Barrington commuters have commute times that are 45 minutes or more.

Barrington’s commute is fairly typical for north suburban towns. Lake Zurich ranked lower at 2,828, meaning more Lake Zurich residents reported longer commute times. Libertyville had one of the best commutes in the northwest suburbs, ranking 1743. About 66 percent of Libertyville commuters travel less than 30 minutes to work.

The best commute times for small cities in the U.S. were in places like Oklahoma and South Dakota. In Altus, OK, 80.5 percent of workers drive less than 15 minutes to work.

Nationally, 15.5 percent of workers have commutes of at least 45 minutes, according to The Business Journals.

According to The Business Journals, the On Numbers rankings reflect both the ease of travel and the economic self-sufficiency within a given community. The highest scores go to places that have wide ranges of easily reached workplaces.