PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia shows Black workers in the Philadelphia area have longer commute times than their white counterparts.
The study found that it takes Black workers in Greater Philadelphia about 32.5 minutes to get to work, compared to the 29.1 minutes it takes white commuters. This means, over the course of a week, a Black worker spends 34 more minutes commuting.
Some of the contributing factors to a slower commute are wait times for public transportation, the fact that many Black workers tend to live farther away from where they work, and when driving, they tend to drive at slower speeds.
“Old South Philly, Old North Philly, these areas, you know, are typically slower because of just how the streets are laid out, rather than, you know, suburban areas, which were designed to quickly move people in cars,” said Christopher Severen, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
But this commuting disparity is not just an issue in Philadelphia, it spans to many major U.S. cities as well.
“Once we were studying the U.S. as a whole, you know, it became obvious that this was a problem that was particularly pronounced in large, segregated cities, particularly in the Northeast,” Severen noted.
Nassir Holden, a research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank, says the longer commutes overall can take a toll on quality of life.
“You're not spending that time with your family,” Holden said. “It's not quite a productive time, so it's not like you're really earning money during this time, it's not quite leisure time, you're not relaxing.”
Correction: a previous version of this story misspelled Holden's first name. The current story reflects that change.