Can you believe that over the course of a single year, "Americans who spend 36 minutes, the national average, driving to and from work give up nine full days to their commute?" True story.
A new study by Best Mattress Brand analyzes American Consumer Survey data between 2009 and 2015 to figure out which major U.S. states require the longest and shortest commuting times—and the results are pretty depressing.
The study finds that the areas with the longest travel times are Washington, D.C. (43.6 minutes), New York (35 minutes), Maryland (30.7 minutes), Massachusetts (30.2 minutes) and California (29.4 minutes).
As for the shortest commutes, folks in South Dakota (16.6 minutes) take the cake. Following are Wyoming and Montana (both at 17.3 minutes), Alaska (18.5 minutes) and North Dakota (18.6 minutes).
Even more depressing than all that time we waste getting to work and back is the effect that those habits have on our sleeping patterns: Given traffic and workday schedules, some people must wake up before 5am on a daily basis.
"According to the American Census Bureau, over 13 percent of Americans get up before the sun in Elkhart, Indiana," claims the website.
In contrast, residents of Atlantic City (New Jersey), Ithaca (New York) and Las Vegas (Nevada) are the ones most likely to leave for work after 9am—to avoid traffic, perhaps?
One thing is certain, though: No matter how long your ride to work is, commuting while listening to the best road trip songs will make your entire day that much better.