Commuters are the Driving Force Among Workers
Katz analyzed the latest YouGov data on the status of the American workforce to see where the country stands in terms of commuting in 2025. The "new normal" of working arrangements that many of us have become accustomed to involves a hybrid situation of working from a business location and from home. Even with cross-over arrangements, the data shows the ongoing shift from WFH towards commuting to workplaces outside the home.
As of June 2025 more than 7 in 10 employed adults are commuting to a job outside the home. Commuting levels have increased +29% since 2020, with growth seen across age brackets. Employed adults 30-44 are among the most likely to work at locations outside the home at 74%, topped by older adults 65+ (78%). The youngest cohort of employed adults 18-29 experienced a+41% increase in commuting since 2020.
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RADIO IS THE BEST WAY TO CONNECT WITH COMMUTERS ON THE ROAD
A natural byproduct of growing work commutes is an increase in car usage. As Katz covered in a previous analysis of traffic congestion data, major American cities, and top Radio Metros, saw increases in time spent in traffic last year, as well as increased visits to downtown areas. And no medium is positioned to reach this captive in-car audience better than AM/FM radio - delivering the usage and scale advertisers need. Edison's Share of Ear finds that 9 out of every 10 minutes of ad supported listening time is spent with AM/FM radio.
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Time spent in the car offers significant opportunities for brands to engage with captive audiences through audio. With its dominant in-car reach and usage, radio provides unmatched opportunity for advertisers to connect with millions of engaged and attentive employed adults where and when they're in a position to act.
