Telecommuting by the Numbers

What the U.S. could save if more people worked from home

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What the U.S. could save if more people worked from home

What would a world without offices look like? Well, Dilbert wouldn't be funny, and there would be no such thing as rush-hour traffic. Here, thanks to Kate Lister of the Telework Research Network, a San Diego -- based research firm, is a rough guess at what else would happen to the U.S. economy if everyone who could work from home -- about 40 percent of the work force -- did so half the time. The figures are annual. Feel free to rattle them off the next time someone makes fun of you for managing in your PJs.

$200 billion
productivity gains by American companies

$190 billion
savings from reduced real estate expenses, electricity bills, absenteeism, and employee turnover

100 hours
per person not spent commuting

50 million tons
of greenhouse gas emissions cut

276 million barrels
of oil saved, or roughly 32 percent of oil imports from the Middle East

1,500 lives
not lost in car accidents

$700 billion
total estimated savings to American businesses

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Max Chafkin

Senior writer Max Chafkin has profiled companies such as Yelp, Zappos, Twitter, Threadless, and Tesla for the magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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