November 5, 2025
For a rising number of Americans, patience is key as they integrate “super-commutes” into their lives.
For a rising number of Americans, patience is key as they integrate “super-commutes” into their lives.
A 2024 Stanford University study defines as “super-commutes” as a trip of more than 75 miles each way. The number of Americans taking such long journeys to work has surged by 32 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The researchers attribute much of this shift to the increasing number of work-from-home opportunities available. When employees don’t have to commute every day, they often elect to live farther from their place of work. Consequently, the reduction in road congestion makes those longer trips more feasible. The study also notes that typical super-commutes take an average of “2 hours and 19 minutes” one-way.
For professionals like Memwanesha Daniels, a registered nurse whose lifestyle involves flying between Jacksonville and the Bay Area, super-commuting is necessary.
Daniels refers to herself as a “bicoastal nurse.” She lives with her boyfriend and three children, ages 2 to 13, in Jacksonville, Florida, but works in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The bicoastal nurse spoke with CNBC Make It about the benefits of living and working on two coasts.
“I can save a lot, and it gives me a different type of life than what I would have tried to make things work in Florida,” Daniels said. “Paying an extra $2,000 a month to make three times the amount I would make in Florida is very much worth it.”
Since 2017, she’s been flying between coasts. Her shifts typically run 12 hours at a hospital in Oakland, where she earns more than $100 an hour. She sometimes pulls in up to $25,000 a month when she adds overtime.
Her super-commute can involve early-morning flights between Jacksonville and the Bay Area, landing around midday Pacific time. She rents a one-bedroom apartment within walking distance of her hospital for about $1,300 a month. Daniels said she typically spends under $500 monthly on travel by flying round-trip twice per month.
“I love to fly, and I love to travel,” Daniels said. “Flying is relaxing for me.” She sometimes naps on planes before heading straight into work.
For Daniels, the payoff is both financial and personal. Working in California allows her to provide more for her children while keeping her roots in Florida.
“You still have to have a life,” she said, “but this one gives me choices.”
Daniels’ decision to accept the time and travel in exchange for higher pay aligns with what the data suggest: modern long-distance commuting is increasingly part of the trade-off equation for professional workers balancing cost, location, and career gains.
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