The New York metropolitan area had the longest average commute time before the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. It isn’t the office that workers heading into the city despise. It’s the commute. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in remote work, emptying out office towers as more people worked from home. Cities with longer commutes have taken the biggest economic hit, while urban areas where people live closer to work have a higher return-to-office rate, according to The Wall Street Journal’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data and building-access company Kastle Systems.