Commuting in San Clemente, California: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 3:40 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in San Clemente?
Map AI9/24/26, 3:40 PM
Commute Time Burden in San Clemente: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in San Clemente spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 220 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 12% more time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 2.9 minutes.
San Clemente holds about 0.2% of California's population and accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in San Clemente would save about 88 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,727 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)
San Clemente
26.4 min
52.8 min
220 hrs/yr
$6,818
4,338
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.
San Clemente Commute Map
On average, it takes
26.4
minutes to get to work in
San Clemente.
That's 18% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 23.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in San Clemente
Car:
73.8%
Worked at Home:
23.2%
Other:
1.7%
Walked:
0.7%unusually low
Bicycle:
0.3%
Public Transportation:
0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Walking is unusually rare in San Clemente: 3.3 times less than the California average (0.7% vs 2.4%).
Public transit is unusually rare in San Clemente: 21.3 times less than the California average (0.1% vs 2.9%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in San Clemente, versus 0.2% in California.
Commute Mode Trends in San Clemente, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in San Clemente 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
Other
Walked
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
85.9%
9.4%
0.5%
1.9%
0.4%
1.3%
0.5%
0.0%
2010
84.8%
10.1%
0.5%
2.0%
0.5%
1.5%
0.7%
0.0%
2011
85.5%
9.8%
0.4%
1.9%
0.5%
1.3%
0.7%
0.0%
2012
84.3%
9.9%
0.5%
1.9%
0.7%
2.0%
0.7%
0.0%
2013
83.8%
10.0%
0.5%
2.6%
0.9%
1.7%
0.6%
0.0%
2014
83.9%
10.5%
0.6%
2.3%
0.8%
1.4%
0.6%
0.0%
2015
84.7%
10.2%
0.5%
2.1%
0.6%
1.4%
0.5%
0.0%
2016
84.1%
10.6%
0.7%
1.9%
0.7%
1.4%
0.5%
0.0%
2017
83.3%
12.4%
0.6%
1.1%
0.6%
1.5%
0.4%
0.1%
2018
82.9%
13.0%
0.9%
1.1%
0.3%
1.4%
0.4%
0.2%
2019
82.3%
13.4%
0.8%
1.5%
0.2%
1.4%
0.2%
0.2%
2020
80.6%
16.5%
0.7%
1.0%
0.1%
0.8%
0.1%
0.2%
2021
78.8%
17.8%
1.0%
1.1%
0.2%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
2022
77.0%
19.6%
1.2%
1.3%
0.2%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
2023
75.6%
21.3%
1.4%
1.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2024
73.8%
23.2%
1.7%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 85.9% in 2009 to 73.8% in 2024, down 12.1 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 9 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in San Clemente: its share of workers rose from 9.4% in 2009 to 23.2% in 2024, up 13.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 9.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 1.9% to 0.7% of workers (down 1.2 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in San Clemente
What Time Do People Leave for Work in San Clemente?
The bars show when commuters in San Clemente 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 AMSan Clemente3.5%California6.7%
3.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMSan Clemente3.0%California4.5%
3.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMSan Clemente3.3%California4.5%
3.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMSan Clemente5.5%California8.4%
5.5%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMSan Clemente10.1%California7.5%
10.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMSan Clemente14.1%California13.1%
14.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMSan Clemente11.8%California10.2%
11.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMSan Clemente14.0%California12.6%
14.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMSan Clemente7.3%California5.8%
7.3%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMSan Clemente10.7%California8.6%
10.7%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMSan Clemente5.2%California3.9%
5.2%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMSan Clemente2.2%California1.8%
2.2%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMSan Clemente5.0%California6.9%
5.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMSan Clemente4.3%California5.5%
4.3%
San ClementeCaliforniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in San Clemente is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.1% across California. Early starts are less common than in California: 9.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in California: 50.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (27.3%) 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 San Clemente, 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente 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.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
San Clemente
California
United States
2009
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:37 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:38 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:40 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:41 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
7:39 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:47 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:50 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:54 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:53 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:57 AM
7:43 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:57 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:57 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in San Clemente were on the road by 7:57 AM, 21 minutes later than in 2009 (7:36 AM). The shift is sharper than across California, where the typical start moved 6 minutes later. Commuters in San Clemente now leave 19 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 San Clemente has moved 7 minutes later.
How does San Clemente's commute time compare?
Metric
San Clemente
California
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
26.4 min
23.5 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
23.2%
17.2%
15.0%
Walked
0.7%
2.4%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
2.9%
3.2%
The average commute time in San Clemente is 26.4 minutes, longer than the 23.5 minutes in California.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.9% in California. 0.7% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in California.
San Clemente, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
San Clemente, CA is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 59,513 residents against a local median of 32,348. San Clemente, CA's work from home, at 23.2%, runs 18% below the 28.4% typical of the cities around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 26.4 min against a local median of 22.8 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts San Clemente, CA at the weaker end of the local range. The cities themselves spread 8.0% on work from home, so San Clemente, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Clemente, CA has the 4th highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in San Clemente, California.
How much does the average commute cost workers in San Clemente, California?
Commuters here spend an estimated 220 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,818 at a typical national wage. That's 12% more than the typical California commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in San Clemente, California?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in San Clemente, California. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How common is public transit use in San Clemente, California?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 2.9% in California, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How much time do residents in San Clemente, California save by working from home?
About 23.2% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in San Clemente would save about 88 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,727 at the same national wage assumption used above.