'Super-commuting' in the nation’s 10 largest metro areas

A new report from NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management details the rise of the “super-commuter,” defined as one who commutes from one metropolitan area to another. Study data was tracked through the U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap tool, according to The Atlantic Cities.

Research focused on the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Seattle. Houston and Dallas featured the largest percentage of super-commuters, with more than 13 percent of all workers falling in that category. Houston also saw the greatest growth in super-commuter population from 2002 to 2009, nearly reaching 100 percent.

A second map displayed the most popular super-commuting routes nationwide. The Arizona Sun Corridor from Tucson to Phoenix was at the top of the list, carrying 54,400 drivers to work. Other heavily trafficked routes included:

- The Northwest Corridor from Portland, Ore. to Seattle
- The California Corridor from San Francisco to Los Angeles
- The Texas Triangle of Austin, Dallas, and Houston
- The Midwest Quadrant connecting St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit
- The Keystone Corridor from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia
- The Northeast Corridor from Boston to New York

Demographically speaking, super-commuters tended to be persons 29 years old or younger in the middle class.

To see the interactive maps, click here.