Are you a super-commuter?
For many Californians, getting to work means spending hours on the road. Super-commuters are workers who travel more than 50 miles or 90 minutes one way to their job. 

California has approximately 574,000 super-commuters, the largest number of any state. Latino workers are disproportionately represented, accounting for  approximately 42% of California’s super-commuters, the largest share of any racial or ethnic group.

Why are so many Latinos making longer commutes?
For some workers, living farther from major job centers can mean access to more affordable housing. But the tradeoff can be a longer commute and higher transportation costs.

This is especially relevant for workers in occupations that require them to be on-site. Construction, extraction, repair and maintenance jobs have the highest representation among California’s super-commuters, according to a 2024 study commissioned by the California Transportation Commission and Caltrans.

The financial pressures can be significant. The study found that 53% of Hispanic super-commuters earn less than $25,000 annually, highlighting the economic challenges faced by many workers who travel long distances to earn a living. 

When gas prices rise, every mile costs more. 
For a worker driving more than 50 miles each way, fuel costs can add up quickly. Consider a worker commuting 100 miles a day, five days a week, in a vehicle averaging 25 miles per gallon. A $1 per gallon increase in gas prices adds approximately $20 a week, or more than $1,000 over a 50 week work year, in fuel expenses alone. 

For lower income households, that additional expense means less money for groceries, housing, utilities and other necessities.

For many families, the commute isn’t optional. It’s what it takes to provide for their households. Rising gas prices adds another burden to the challenge of making ends meet. Californians shouldn’t have to choose between getting to work and their family’s needs at home.

Understanding the impact of rising gas prices on workers with the longest commutes is an important part of the state’s broader conversation about energy affordability. 

Now is the time to make your voice heard. Tell California leaders to make affordable, reliable energy a priority.