Minnesota Is One of the Most Expensive Commute States in the Country
We all have to get around somehow. Many of us have work, school, and activities. Sometimes we don't consider that we have to spend money to get to places. Minnesota was ranked the 15th best place to live in the country, but a different study just found we are the fourth most expensive state when it comes to commuting.
According to How Much Understanding Money, commute costs consist of gas, maintenance on your vehicle, and how much public transportation costs. I guess we don't really consider maintenance as a commuting cost, but it is. We have to get regular oil changes, get snow tires and fill up our tank every few days or weeks because gas doesn't replenish itself. Oh, do I wish it did!
According to this site Minnesotans on average spend around $3,661 a year just to commute to and from work or school. This same page claims that around 78% of us will drive to where we have to go instead of taking public transportation. I'm not for sure, but I think this has something to do with our winters. So who ranked higher than us? Here are the top 5 rankings.
- North Dakota- $5,059
- Wyoming- $4,393
- New York- $3,710
- Minnesota- $3,661
- Michigan $3,631
The one thing that most of these states have in common is their winters and that they are towards the north. I've lived in Wyoming in winter and it wasn't too fun. New York is the only state where around 50% of the people take public transportation instead of driving. I was talking to a few coworkers and they said that in Minnesota bus passes are cheaper than driving sometimes, but they still aren't cheap. Good thing for four-wheel drive and great mechanics!
Hang Out With Paisley Dunn On Quick Country 96.5 Weekdays from 3 pm-7 pm
Wake Up With Paisley Dunn on Kat Kountry 105 Weekdays from 6 am-10 am