Laguna Hills Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Laguna Hills, California: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Laguna Hills: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Laguna Hills spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 177 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 10% less time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 2.3 minutes.
Laguna Hills holds about 0.1% of California's population and accounts for roughly 0.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Laguna Hills would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,193 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Hills | 21.2 min | 42.4 min | 177 hrs/yr | $5,482 | 4,159 |
| California | 23.5 min | 47.0 min | 196 hrs/yr | $6,065 | 2,449 |
| 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.
Laguna Hills Commute Map
On average, it takes 21.2 minutes to get to work in Laguna Hills. That's 5% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 20.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Laguna Hills
- Car: 76.1%
- Worked at Home: 20.5%
- Other: 2.1%
- Walked: 0.9%
- Public Transportation: 0.2% unusually low
- Bicycle: 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Laguna Hills: 12.5 times less than the California average (0.2% vs 2.9%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Laguna Hills, versus 0.2% in California.
Biking is unusually rare in Laguna Hills: 6.3 times less than the California average (0.1% vs 0.7%).
Few people walk or bike to work in Laguna Hills: just 1.0%, 3.1 times below the California average of 3.1%.
Commute Mode Trends in Laguna Hills, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Laguna Hills 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Other | Walked | Public Transportation | Motorcycle | Bicycle | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 86.6% | 7.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 2.8% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 87.1% | 8.4% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 2.1% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 85.7% | 9.0% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 86.2% | 8.4% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 84.9% | 10.2% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 84.4% | 10.6% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 84.3% | 10.7% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 85.7% | 10.9% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 85.5% | 10.9% | 1.4% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 87.6% | 8.3% | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.9% | 8.1% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 84.7% | 11.0% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 80.9% | 14.6% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 80.0% | 16.4% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 78.6% | 18.3% | 1.5% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 76.1% | 20.5% | 2.1% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2019 at 87.9%. Overall it fell from 86.6% in 2009 to 76.1% in 2024, down 10.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Laguna Hills: its share of workers rose from 7.9% in 2009 to 20.5% in 2024, up 12.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 12.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.8% to 0.2% of workers (down 2.6 percentage points).
Walking overtook public transit to become the 4th most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Laguna Hills
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Laguna Hills?
The bars show when commuters in Laguna Hills 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 California for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Laguna Hills3.5%
California6.7%
|
3.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Laguna Hills1.4%
California4.5%
|
1.4% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Laguna Hills3.4%
California4.5%
|
3.4% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Laguna Hills5.3%
California8.4%
|
5.3% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Laguna Hills9.0%
California7.5%
|
9.0% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Laguna Hills12.2%
California13.1%
|
12.2% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Laguna Hills12.6%
California10.2%
|
12.6% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Laguna Hills17.3%
California12.6%
|
17.3% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Laguna Hills9.1%
California5.8%
|
9.1% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Laguna Hills8.2%
California8.6%
|
8.2% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Laguna Hills4.8%
California3.9%
|
4.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Laguna Hills1.4%
California1.8%
|
1.4% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Laguna Hills7.9%
California6.9%
|
7.9% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Laguna Hills3.9%
California5.5%
|
3.9% |
Laguna Hills California Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Laguna Hills is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 17.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.6% across California. Early starts are less common than in California: 8.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in California: 51.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.2%) 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 Laguna Hills, 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 Laguna Hills 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 Laguna Hills next to California 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Laguna Hills | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:46 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:46 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:49 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:53 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:56 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:55 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:52 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:54 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:56 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:58 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:57 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:03 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Laguna Hills were on the road by 8:05 AM, 22 minutes later than in 2009 (7:43 AM). The shift is sharper than across California, where the typical start moved 6 minutes later. Commuters in Laguna Hills now leave 27 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Laguna Hills has moved 8 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Laguna Hills in the whole series.
How does Laguna Hills's commute time compare?
| Metric | Laguna Hills | California | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 21.2 min | 23.5 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 20.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 0.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 0.2% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Laguna Hills is 21.2 minutes, shorter than the 23.5 minutes in California.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.9% in California. 0.9% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in California.
Laguna Hills, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Laguna Hills, CA is the 4th largest of the 5 cities compared here, 29,550 residents against a local median of 53,997. The measure that sets Laguna Hills, CA apart most is work from home: 20.5%, 24% below the local median of 27.2%.
The cities themselves spread 5.7% on work from home, so Laguna Hills, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Laguna Hills, CA has the 5th highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Hills, CA | 29,550 | 21.2 min #1/5 | 20.5% #5/5 | 8:04 AM #3/5 |
| Aliso Viejo, CA | 46,470 | 22.6 min | 26.8% | 8:07 AM |
| Mission Viejo, CA | 95,648 | 23.1 min | 23.6% | 8:00 AM |
| Laguna Niguel, CA | 61,524 | 22.6 min | 27.5% | 8:13 AM |
| Ladera Ranch, CA | 20,159 | 23.0 min | 29.2% | 8:02 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Laguna Hills, California.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Laguna Hills, California?
Commuters here spend an estimated 177 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,482 at a typical national wage. That's 10% less than the typical California commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Laguna Hills, California?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Laguna Hills, California. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Laguna Hills, California?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% of commuters use it versus 2.9% in California, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.