According to a recent study by World at Work:
The number of Americans whose employer allows them to work remotely at least one day per month increased 63 percent, from 7.6 million in 2004 to 12.4 million in 2006.
Based on government estimates of 149.3 million workers in the U.S. labor force, the 2006 data means that roughly 8 percent of American workers have an employer that allows them to telecommute one day per month.
The article goes on to say that this trend is a result of the proliferation of high speed broadband, wireless access and the willingness of more employers to embrace flexibility in regards to work-life balance.
I think we also need to look at the rising costs in gas and the sophistication of technology. VPN tunnels allow access to company documents without setting foot in the office, the new MS Office products now allow simultaneous group work on a document and VoIP phones allow business-grade phones into a home office. With a gallon of gas going over the $3 mark and the amount of time that is being wasted on commuting, I think we will see this number continue to rise.
The national average commute time is 24.4 minutes which amounts to approximately 4.5 days a year spent in commute. The number one city is New York City with an average commute time of 38.4 minutes, Chicago is second at 32.7, Philadelphia third at 30.3. Our hometown of Minneapolis is tied with Nashville at 52nd (21 minutes) and rounding out the list in last place (or should it be first?) is Wichita City, KS at 16.5 minutes.