Commuting in San Francisco County, California: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 12:12 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in San Francisco County?
Map AI9/24/26, 12:12 PM
Commute Time Burden in San Francisco County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in San Francisco County spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 239 hours, about 10.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 22% more time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 5.2 minutes.
San Francisco County holds about 2.1% of California's population but accounts for roughly 2.6% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in San Francisco County would save about 96 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,967 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 Francisco County
28.7 min
57.4 min
239 hrs/yr
$7,417
3,852
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.
On average, it takes
28.7
minutes to get to work in
San Francisco County.
That's 28% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 91% of counties in California
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 31.0% work from home.
How People Get to Work in San Francisco County
Car:
34.6%unusually low
Worked at Home:
31.0%
Public Transportation:
18.7%unusually high
Walked:
9.4%unusually high
Bicycle:
3.3%unusually high
Other:
1.9%
Taxi:
0.7%unusually high
Motorcycle:
0.4%
Driving is 54% less common in San Francisco County than the California average (34.6% vs 75.2%).
Walking is unusually common in San Francisco County: 4.0 times more than the California average (9.4% vs 2.4%).
Public transit is unusually common in San Francisco County: 6.6 times more than the California average (18.7% vs 2.9%).
Taking a taxi is unusually common in San Francisco County: 3.4 times more than the California average (0.7% vs 0.2%).
Biking is unusually common in San Francisco County: 4.8 times more than the California average (3.3% vs 0.7%).
San Francisco County stands out for active commuting: 12.7% of workers walk or bike to work, 4.1 times the California average of 3.1%.
Commute Mode Trends in San Francisco County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in San Francisco 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
Public Transportation
Walked
Bicycle
Other
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
46.9%
6.7%
32.3%
9.5%
2.6%
0.7%
0.3%
0.9%
2010
45.9%
6.6%
32.6%
9.8%
3.0%
0.8%
0.3%
0.9%
2011
45.4%
6.8%
32.7%
9.9%
3.1%
0.9%
0.3%
0.9%
2012
45.3%
7.0%
32.4%
9.9%
3.4%
1.0%
0.3%
0.8%
2013
44.5%
7.0%
32.6%
10.1%
3.5%
1.1%
0.3%
0.9%
2014
43.6%
7.0%
33.0%
10.3%
3.8%
1.1%
0.3%
0.9%
2015
43.0%
6.9%
33.2%
10.4%
4.0%
1.1%
0.5%
0.9%
2016
42.1%
6.6%
33.7%
10.6%
4.1%
1.2%
0.7%
0.9%
2017
41.1%
6.7%
34.1%
11.1%
3.9%
1.3%
0.9%
0.9%
2018
40.1%
6.6%
34.3%
11.5%
4.0%
1.4%
1.3%
0.9%
2019
38.9%
6.6%
34.8%
11.8%
4.0%
1.5%
1.5%
0.9%
2020
37.2%
11.8%
31.6%
11.7%
3.7%
1.8%
1.3%
0.9%
2021
35.9%
18.0%
27.8%
11.0%
3.4%
1.8%
1.3%
0.8%
2022
35.1%
23.4%
23.9%
10.5%
3.4%
1.9%
1.1%
0.7%
2023
34.6%
27.5%
21.4%
10.0%
3.3%
1.9%
0.8%
0.6%
2024
34.6%
31.0%
18.7%
9.4%
3.3%
1.9%
0.7%
0.4%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 46.9% in 2009 to 34.6% in 2024, down 12.3 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in San Francisco County: its share of workers rose from 6.7% in 2009 to 31.0% in 2024, up 24.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 24.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 32.3% to 18.7% of workers (down 13.6 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2023 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 11.8% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 9.4%.
Commute Start Times in San Francisco County
🦉Night OwlThe 2nd-latest start among California's 58 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:15 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in San Francisco County?
The bars show when commuters in San Francisco 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 California for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMSan Francisco County2.3%California6.7%
2.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMSan Francisco County1.5%California4.5%
1.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMSan Francisco County1.8%California4.5%
1.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMSan Francisco County5.0%California8.4%
5.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMSan Francisco County6.0%California7.5%
6.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMSan Francisco County12.4%California13.1%
12.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMSan Francisco County11.8%California10.2%
11.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMSan Francisco County18.1%California12.6%
18.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMSan Francisco County11.0%California5.8%
11.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMSan Francisco County14.0%California8.6%
14.0%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMSan Francisco County4.7%California3.9%
4.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMSan Francisco County1.9%California1.8%
1.9%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMSan Francisco County5.8%California6.9%
5.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMSan Francisco County3.7%California5.5%
3.7%
San Francisco CountyCaliforniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in San Francisco County is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 18.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.6% across California. Early starts are less common than in California: 5.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in California: 48.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (30.1%) 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco County 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 Francisco County
California
United States
2009
8:11 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
8:12 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2011
8:12 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
8:12 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2013
8:12 AM
7:43 AM
7:39 AM
2014
8:13 AM
7:43 AM
7:39 AM
2015
8:13 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2016
8:13 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2017
8:13 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2018
8:13 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2019
8:13 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2020
8:13 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2021
8:14 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2022
8:14 AM
7:43 AM
7:37 AM
2023
8:16 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2024
8:15 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in San Francisco County were on the road by 8:15 AM, 4 minutes later than in 2009 (8:11 AM). Across California the shift was bigger still, with the typical start moving 6 minutes later. Commuters in San Francisco County now leave 37 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 Francisco County has moved 2 minutes later.
How does San Francisco County's commute time compare?
Metric
San Francisco County
California
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
28.7 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
09:00 AM – 09:59 AM
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
31.0%
17.2%
15.0%
Walked
9.4%
2.4%
2.4%
Public Transit
18.7%
2.9%
3.2%
The average commute time in San Francisco County is 28.7 minutes, longer than the 23.5 minutes in California.
18.7% commute by public transit, higher than the 2.9% in California. 9.4% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in California.
San Francisco County, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
San Francisco County, CA is typical in size for this group, 829,818 residents against a local median of 733,246, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. San Francisco County, CA's work from home, at 31.0%, runs 28% above the 24.3% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 28.7 min against a local median of 23.2 min, 24% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 24% above the local median it puts San Francisco County, CA at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 15.5% on work from home, so San Francisco County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. San Francisco County, CA has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in San Francisco County, California.
Is living in San Francisco County, California good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 239 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,417 at a typical national wage. That's 22% more than the typical California commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in San Francisco County, California?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in San Francisco County, California. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How common is public transit use in San Francisco County, California?
Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 18.7% of commuters use it versus 2.9% in California, making it a realistic option for many workers.
How much time do residents in San Francisco County, California save by working from home?
About 31.0% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in San Francisco County would save about 96 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,967 at the same national wage assumption used above.
How do commute times compare across counties in California?
Among counties in California, the shortest average commutes are in Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min). The longest are in Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).