Maryland Commuter Survey

2022 Maryland Commuter Survey

The Maryland Commuter Survey (MCS) is a new survey of adult workers in Maryland designed to measure annual trends in commuting and remote work. The 2022 MCS is its first iteration, providing baseline understanding of commuting rates and patterns as Maryland exits the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey and future iterations will shed light on topics including how Marylanders are returning to in-person work, whether remote and hybrid workers are moving farther from workplaces, and how transit and other alternative modes are competing with automobility in the post-COVID transportation landscape.

Key Findings

Remote Work

  • The majority of Maryland workers are hybrid or remote
  • Remote workers are demographically diverse: predominantly female and people of color
  • Hybrid workers tend to have the highest incomes and levels of education
  • Remote and hybrid work may displace as much as 17% of statewide VMT

Commute Patterns

  • Most commutes are 5–25 miles
    • Urban residents tend to commute less than 5 miles 
    • Suburban and rural residents tend to commute more than 10 miles
  • Most commutes are within the same county
  • Lower income and fully in-person workers have shorter commutes

Commute Modes

  • Driving is the dominant mode for commuting: nearly 90% of commuters drive regularly
  • Many workers with walkable and bikeable commutes or access to transit nonetheless drive
  • Transit would take five times as long as driving for the average commuter
  • Women are considerably less likely to use transit or slow modes—walking, biking, scooting—than men

Commuter Priorities

  • Maryland workers do not tend to prioritize commuting when choosing where to live
  • Remote workers aren’t interested in moving farther from work
  • Increasing safety and multimodal options are high priorities for transportation improvements

Documents