December 5, 2002

More North Dakotans Commute

Although the amount of time North Dakotans spend commuting to work is relatively short, the amount of time they spend commuting and the number of commuters is on the increase according to the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University.

In 2000, slightly more than three out of four North Dakota workers (77.7 percent) drove alone to work by means of a car, truck or van. This proportion increased from 71.4 percent in 1990, 56.6 percent in 1980 and 53.1 percent in 1970. The proportion of workers who walked to work in 2000 dropped to 5 percent, down from 8.2 percent in 1990, 14.4 percent in 1980 and 16.3 percent in 1970. The numbers are from a recent Population Bulletin released from the North Dakota State Data Center.

"There are significant amounts of commuting in our state, especially in rural areas. As the proportion of commuters increases, especially those traveling alone, the demand on state and county roads increases. Our increasing reliance on roadways can have an important drain on state and county funds, especially in time of tight budgets," said Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center.

The average commute time for North Dakotans working outside the home was nearly16 minutes in 2000, up from 13 in 1990. Only 7 percent of all workers (11 percent of rural workers) spent more than 40 minutes traveling to work in 2000.

In 2000, 96.1 percent of North Dakota’s workforce worked in North Dakota. In addition, nearly 87 percent of the state’s workforce worked in their county of residence. In rural counties throughout the state, there was a greater tendency to work in a different county. More than 17 percent of North Dakota’s rural workforce crossed county boundaries to work.

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Sources: Richard Rathge, (701) 231-8621, richard.rathge@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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