Commuting in Pinal County, Arizona: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 4:23 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Pinal County?
Map AI9/24/26, 4:23 PM
Commute Time Burden in Pinal County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Pinal County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 259 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 38% more time on the road than the Arizona average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 8.6 minutes.
Pinal County holds about 6.4% of Arizona's population but accounts for roughly 8.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Pinal County would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,207 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Area
One-Way Commute
Daily Round-Trip
Yearly Time Spent
Estimated Yearly Cost
Local Road Traffic (VPD)
Pinal County
31.0 min
62.1 min
259 hrs/yr
$8,017
2,674
Arizona
22.4 min
44.9 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,798
1,948
United States
22.4 min
44.8 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,790
1,355
The estimated yearly cost applies a single national rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area - treat it
as a rough estimate, not a paycheck figure. Local road traffic counts, vehicles per day
on non-highway roads, come from proprietary
Ticon and
TrafficZoom data.
On average, it takes
31.0
minutes to get to work in
Pinal County.
That's 38% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slowest county in Arizona
The most common departure window is 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 16.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Pinal County
Car:
79.7%
Worked at Home:
16.9%
Walked:
1.4%
Other:
1.1%
Motorcycle:
0.4%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Public Transportation:
0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Pinal County: 9.5 times less than the Arizona average (0.1% vs 1.0%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Pinal County: 4.2 times less than the Arizona average (0.1% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in Pinal County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Pinal County get to work, as a share of all workers aged 16 and over, across 16 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) releases from 2009 to 2024. Each release is a 5-year estimate: the 2024 figures cover surveys taken from 2020 to 2024. Because neighboring releases share most of their survey years, the lines move gradually, and a sudden change such as the rise of remote work in 2020 spreads across several releases. Hover over or tap a line to highlight it, and use the legend to show or hide a mode. Driving starts hidden so the smaller modes stay readable.
Share of workers aged 16 and over, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show commute mode data by year
Year
Car
Worked at Home
Walked
Other
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
2009
91.3%
4.9%
2.0%
0.9%
0.5%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2010
90.6%
5.7%
1.7%
1.1%
0.4%
0.2%
0.3%
0.0%
2011
90.4%
5.8%
1.6%
1.1%
0.6%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2012
90.5%
6.0%
1.3%
1.0%
0.7%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2013
90.8%
5.7%
1.2%
1.0%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
90.5%
5.7%
1.2%
1.2%
0.6%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
2015
90.6%
5.5%
1.3%
1.1%
0.7%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
2016
90.6%
5.5%
1.5%
1.1%
0.6%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2017
90.5%
5.6%
1.7%
1.1%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2018
90.1%
5.9%
1.5%
1.2%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2019
89.6%
6.5%
1.5%
1.1%
0.5%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
2020
88.6%
8.0%
1.4%
1.0%
0.4%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2021
86.3%
10.3%
1.3%
0.9%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2022
84.2%
12.4%
1.2%
0.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
2023
81.8%
14.9%
1.4%
0.9%
0.4%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2024
79.7%
16.9%
1.4%
1.1%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 91.3% in 2009 to 79.7% in 2024, down 11.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 8 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Pinal County: its share of workers rose from 4.9% in 2009 to 16.9% in 2024, up 12.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.0% to 1.4% of workers (down 0.6 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Pinal County
🐦Early BirdThe 2nd-earliest start among Arizona's 15 counties: half of commuters are on the road by 7:03 AM.
🧘Rush-Hour DodgersThe 2nd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among Arizona's 15 counties: only 33.9% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Pinal County?
The bars show when commuters in Pinal County leave home for work, as a share of everyone who commutes (people who work from home are not counted), from the 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The thin violet marks show Arizona for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMPinal County14.3%Arizona8.5%
14.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMPinal County8.8%Arizona5.8%
8.8%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMPinal County7.0%Arizona5.7%
7.0%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMPinal County11.1%Arizona9.2%
11.1%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMPinal County7.5%Arizona9.3%
7.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMPinal County11.6%Arizona13.1%
11.6%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMPinal County7.0%Arizona10.1%
7.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMPinal County7.8%Arizona10.1%
7.8%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMPinal County2.7%Arizona4.2%
2.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMPinal County3.5%Arizona5.9%
3.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMPinal County1.9%Arizona2.9%
1.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMPinal County2.1%Arizona1.5%
2.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMPinal County7.5%Arizona7.0%
7.5%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMPinal County7.2%Arizona6.5%
7.2%
Pinal CountyArizonaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Pinal County is 12:00-4:59 AM, when 14.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 8.5% across Arizona. Early starts are more common than in Arizona: 30.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 20.1% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Arizona: 33.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 42.6% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (22.1%) leave at 9 AM or later, which usually points to shift work, flexible hours or part-time jobs.
When people leave matters as much as how far they go. Rush-hour traffic shrinks how much ground a 20-minute trip covers, so a trade area drawn as a simple circle often takes in neighborhoods that customers or staff would never drive from and misses others that are an easy trip. A drive-time zone, also called an isochrone, outlines every place within a set number of minutes of an address, which makes it the more honest way to size a store's catchment, a hiring area or the commute from a new home.
See it for yourself on the interactive map: click any spot in Pinal County, pick a 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute drive and see the local demographics of the people who live within that exact drive time.
Is Pinal County Waking Up Earlier? Typical Departure Time, 2009-2024
Each line follows the typical (median) departure time: the moment by which half of commuters have already left home. Higher on the chart means a later start. Setting Pinal County next to Arizona and the U.S. shows whether local mornings are drifting earlier or later than everyone else's. The figures span 16 ACS 5-year releases, so changes build up gradually rather than jumping from one year to the next.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
Pinal County
Arizona
United States
2009
7:04 AM
7:23 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:05 AM
7:25 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:05 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:07 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:07 AM
7:27 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:07 AM
7:27 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:07 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:08 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:10 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:08 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:08 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:05 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:03 AM
7:25 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:01 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:04 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:03 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Pinal County were on the road by 7:03 AM, almost exactly the same as in 2009. Across Arizona, meanwhile, the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Pinal County now leave 35 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Pinal County has moved 5 minutes earlier.
How does Pinal County's commute time compare?
Metric
Pinal County
Arizona
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
31.0 min
22.4 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
12:00 AM – 04:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
16.9%
18.4%
15.0%
Walked
1.4%
1.7%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
1.0%
3.2%
The average commute time in Pinal County is 31.0 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in Arizona.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.0% in Arizona. 1.4% commute by walking, lower than the 1.7% in Arizona.
Pinal County, AZ Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Pinal County, AZ is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 468,983 residents against a local median of 53,793. The measure that sets Pinal County, AZ apart most is one-way commute: 31.0 min, 73% above the local median of 17.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 16.9% against a local median of 12.2%, 38% above it. The counties themselves spread 9.7 min on one-way commute, so Pinal County, AZ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Pinal County, AZ has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Pinal County, Arizona.
Is living in Pinal County, Arizona good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 259 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $8,017 at a typical national wage. That's 38% more than the typical Arizona commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Pinal County, Arizona?
Traffic peaks between 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM in Pinal County, Arizona. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Pinal County, Arizona?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 1.0% in Arizona, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Arizona?
Among counties in Arizona, the shortest average commutes are in La Paz County (10.3 min), Gila County (13.4 min), Greenlee County (13.9 min). The longest are in Pinal County (31.0 min), Maricopa County (23.1 min), Pima County (22.2 min).