Often it isn't much of a choice at all. American cities are such that living near a workplace simply isn't feasible for many. It is common to be financially int

Often it isn't much of a choice at all. American cities are such that living near a workplace simply isn't feasible for many. It is common to be financially intractable, and American cities are actively hostile to families/children. So the people who get to "choose" to prioritize living near their workplace is generally restricted to relatively high-income earners who are single with roommates or perhaps are dual-income with no children. That's a relatively small slice of workers.