Courtesy of Malick Mercier/Susan Miller/Kyle Rice
Over the last few years, many US workers have found themselves traveling farther to get to work but going into the office less often, thanks to hybrid work models.
They routinely wake up before sunrise to venture at least 75 miles to their workplace or spend at least three hours commuting to their job. Some of these supercommuters could move closer to their office, but they choose not to.
Business Insider spoke with three commuters who have traveled through multiple states to get to work each week. They shared the main reason they refused to move closer to their jobs.
Courtesy of Susan Miller
When BI spoke with Susan Miller in April, she had already been supercommuting for over two years.
The college professor shared how she lived in New York City but was flying to Ann Arbor, Michigan, weekly to teach at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
The 500-mile flight only takes two hours each way and costs her between $120 and $250 for a roundtrip ticket. The school doesn't cover her commute, but Miller uses her airline credit card to rack up miles and discounts.
"I enjoy the fresh air from the lakes and the nature of the Midwest, as opposed to city life," Miller told BI.
At the same time, the professor said she loves returning home to take advantage of everything that makes New York City exciting and interesting.
Courtesy of Kyle Rice
Kyle Rice started traveling from Wilmington, Delaware, to NYC every morning for work in February.
Even though Rice traveled 125 miles through four states to reach his project manager job at an EMS software company, it only took him two hours to get to work each day on the Amtrak and subway.
"I'd never consider relocating to NYC because it wouldn't be smart financially," Rice told BI.
His new six-figure job allowed him to double his salary, but he was spending $1,510 monthly on commuting. First, he'd drive eight minutes to Amtrak and catch the 6:30 a.m. train from Wilmington to Newark, New Jersey. That ride took an hour and 37 minutes.
Then Rice would hop on the PATH in Newark and ride that railway for 30 minutes into NYC. Despite the traveling expense and time, Rice said his home in Delaware is way more affordable than living in New York City.
When BI interviewed Rice in May, his job had shifted his in-office schedule from daily to twice a week.
Courtesy of Malick Mercier
In 2023, flight attendant Malick Mercier moved to Los Angeles to live in a place with more creatives. But he was still a New York crew member.
"I knew that there'd be more creative people in Los Angeles, and I was finding myself really happy here on layovers," Mercier told BI.
Four times a month, he'd spend between five and eight hours commuting from LA to New York, and he said it wasn't easy. The airline worker would sometimes have to take three buses just to get to the Los Angeles International Airport before starting his 2,400-mile flight to work. And he'd book his ticket the night before or the day of his commute.
Mercier said occasionally getting to work on time was risky, but he always made it. His love and passion for his job made it all worth it.
"Plenty of people are like, 'Is it worth it?' And I feel like, yes, because this is my dream."
If you're a supercommuter or tried supercommuting and want to share your story, email Manseen Logan at mlogan@businessinsider.com.
