Study: Longer Commutes for Palos Verdes Residents

Most commuters from Palos Verdes Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes aren't enjoying quick trips to the office, according to a study by The Business Journals, which showed more than half of the workforce from both cities spends 30 minutes or more on the journey.

In the study that ranked commuting times in small towns, Palos Verdes Estates came in at 2,764th among 3,012 small-sized cities across the country. Small cities were defined as those with populations between 10,000 and 50,000. Palos Verdes Estates had an estimated population of 13,520 in 2009.

According to the study's results released last week, 19.58 percent of Palos Verdes Estates workers have a commute time of 14 minutes or less; 27.45 percent have a commute time of 15-29 minutes; 24.03 percent have a commute time of 30-44 minutes; and 28.94 percent have a commute time of 45 minutes or more.

Rancho Palos Verdes ranked 2,799th among the small-sized cities. The city had an estimated population of 40,997 in 2009.

According to the analysis, 15.35 percent of Rancho Palos Verdes workers have a commute time of 14 minutes or less; 29.51 percent have a commute time of 15-29 minutes; 30.62 percent have a commute time of 30-44 minutes; and 24.51 percent have a commute time of 45 minutes or more.

The U.S. Census Bureau's five-year version of the 2009 American Community Survey provided commuting data for the On Numbers analysis.

"Cities, incorporated towns and census designated places (CDPs) were awarded points for all commuters who drive less than 30 minutes to work," according to the Business Journals article. "But they lost points for all workers above that threshold."

Altus, OK has the easiest commute of small-sized cities in the United States, according to the study. About 80 percent of Altus workers take less than 15 minutes to drive from home to their jobs, which is nearly triple the national average of 28.7 percent.

On average, 15.5 percent of workers in the U.S. face a daily commute of 45 minutes or more.