54,812 people in the Seattle area spent at least 90 minutes getting to work, study finds

As of 2017, Kitsap had the highest percentage of super commuters in the State of Washington. Here's hoping the fast ferry in this file photo has improved that commute. As of 2017, Kitsap had the highest percentage of super commuters in the State of Washington. Here's hoping the fast ferry in this file photo has improved that commute. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close 54,812 people in the Seattle area spent at least 90 minutes getting to work, study finds 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

The number of people forced to spend at least 90 minutes each way commuting to work has boomed in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metro area over the last decade, according to a recently-released study.

A county-by-county breakdown of super commutes by Apartment List has found that 50% more people were grinding out long rides in King County compared to 2009. Pierce County saw an increase of 55% and Snohomish County's super commute number jumped by 44% over that time. Combined, the counties had roughly 55,000 workers spending three hours or more round trip just getting to the office.

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The numbers - which originate from the U.S. Census Bureau - reflect nearly 5% of the workforce in Pierce County, but only about 2% in King County and 3.7% in Snohomish. Kitsap County had the highest percentage of Washington super commuters in the workforce, with 7. 5% making the long haul by ferry as of 2017.

As you may be able to tell from the numbers, the super commuters are not just strung out on roads and freeways, but using all forms of transportation, including ferries.

"Beyond the super commuters who drive from distant exurbs to work in the downtown offices of pricey superstar cities, we also see high rates of super commuting in some counties that are much closer to the urban core," Apartment List's Chris Salviati wrote for the online release of the transit map. "This is evidence of the large number of super commuters who rely on public transit."

In fact the study notes that Staten Island has the nation's fifth largest percentage of super commuters because many are dependent on multiple forms of transit to get to the Manhattan employment hub.

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"While the prospect of a three hour daily commute may seem like a burden that few would be willing to bear, we find that such arrangements have grown increasingly commonplace in recent years," Salviati said.

You can see for yourself how Seattle compares to the rest of the United States on the Apartment List website.