A long, slow commute to work can be mentally and physically taxing as excess time spent behind the wheel can cause stress and anxiety, high blood pressure, and less healthy lifestyle choices, according to the travel-services provider Passport Health.

The Harvard Business Review adds that longer commutes are often linked to diminished job satisfaction.

When it comes to a commuter's vehicle, however, highway driving tends to take less of a toll than stop-and-start city driving or the unpredictable road conditions common in rural areas. What's more, while people who commute to work may pay a little more for automobile insurance, it's not likely to be much more than those who drive for pleasure, Car and Driver reports.

This bodes well for the increased number of people who are back on the road now that more workers are going back to the office. But more people commuting also means that work commutes, on average, are getting longer.

TomTom, the mapping and navigation company, recently looked at average commuter times in cities across the U.S. The slideshow above illustrates the cities where commutes now take the longest, according to TomTom.

"Car commutes have largely gotten slower across America since the mid-pandemic era," the business-news service Axios wrote in a recent analysis of the TomTom findings. "The findings are a reflection of increased traffic as more people head back to the office at least some of the time."

But there may be some good news for commuters on the wellness front: The Harvard Business Review points to the idea that a work commute can promote mental health when commuters find ways to benefit from the travel time and ritual; drivers can listen to books, the news or podcasts, for instance, and public transportation users can get a little extra rest, meditate or grab a few minutes of leisure reading.

See also: |

• The best U.S. cities for commuters in 2023
• 10 U.S. cities that are nightmares for commuters
• 10 cities with the most expensive driver commutes