Modesto Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Modesto, 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 Modesto: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Modesto spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 176 hours, about 7.3 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.
Modesto holds about 0.5% of California's population and accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Modesto would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,186 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto | 21.2 min | 42.3 min | 176 hrs/yr | $5,465 | 3,976 |
| 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.
Modesto Commute Map
On average, it takes 21.2 minutes to get to work in Modesto. That's 6% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 8.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Modesto
- Car: 86.8%
- Worked at Home: 8.3%
- Public Transportation: 1.5%
- Walked: 1.1%
- Other: 1.1%
- Bicycle: 0.8%
- Motorcycle: 0.2%
- Taxi: 0.2%
Commute Mode Trends in Modesto, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Modesto 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 | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 90.3% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 90.9% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 91.3% | 3.6% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 90.8% | 3.8% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 91.1% | 3.5% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 91.9% | 3.5% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 91.4% | 3.7% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2016 | 91.0% | 4.4% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2017 | 91.3% | 4.6% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2018 | 91.7% | 4.9% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 92.1% | 4.7% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 90.9% | 5.6% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 90.2% | 6.4% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 89.3% | 6.7% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2023 | 88.7% | 7.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2024 | 86.8% | 8.3% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2019 at 92.1%. Overall it fell from 90.3% in 2009 to 86.8% in 2024, down 3.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Modesto: its share of workers rose from 3.8% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2024, up 4.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 1.8% to 1.1% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Modesto
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Modesto?
The bars show when commuters in Modesto 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
Modesto12.1%
California6.7%
|
12.1% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Modesto4.9%
California4.5%
|
4.9% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Modesto5.1%
California4.5%
|
5.1% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Modesto7.2%
California8.4%
|
7.2% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Modesto8.0%
California7.5%
|
8.0% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Modesto11.7%
California13.1%
|
11.7% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Modesto10.4%
California10.2%
|
10.4% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Modesto10.5%
California12.6%
|
10.5% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Modesto4.4%
California5.8%
|
4.4% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Modesto5.2%
California8.6%
|
5.2% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Modesto2.8%
California3.9%
|
2.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Modesto1.6%
California1.8%
|
1.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Modesto8.2%
California6.9%
|
8.2% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Modesto8.0%
California5.5%
|
8.0% |
Modesto California Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Modesto is 12:00-4:59 AM, when 12.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 6.7% across California. Early starts are more common than in California: 22.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in California: 40.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (25.8%) 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 Modesto, 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 Modesto 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 Modesto 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 | Modesto | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:38 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:38 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:39 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:40 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:39 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:39 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:37 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:38 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:34 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:34 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:33 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:33 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:31 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:32 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:33 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Modesto were on the road by 7:33 AM, 5 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:38 AM). That goes against the trend across California, where the typical commuter now leaves 6 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Modesto now leave 5 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Modesto's commute time compare?
| Metric | Modesto | California | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 21.2 min | 23.5 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 8.3% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.1% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.5% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Modesto is 21.2 minutes, shorter than the 23.5 minutes in California.
1.5% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.9% in California. 1.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in California.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Modesto, California.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Modesto, California?
Commuters here spend an estimated 176 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,465 at a typical national wage. That's 10% less than the typical California commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Modesto, California?
Traffic peaks between 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM in Modesto, California. 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.