Santa Monica Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Santa Monica, 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 Santa Monica: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Santa Monica spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 5% less time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 1.3 minutes.
Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica would save about 74 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,293 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | 22.2 min | 44.4 min | 185 hrs/yr | $5,732 | 3,868 |
| 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.
Santa Monica Commute Map
On average, it takes 22.2 minutes to get to work in Santa Monica. That's 1% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 38.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Santa Monica
- Car: 49.8% unusually low
- Worked at Home: 38.4%
- Walked: 4.8%
- Other: 2.4%
- Public Transportation: 2.2%
- Bicycle: 1.9%
- Motorcycle: 0.3%
- Taxi: 0.2%
Driving is 34% less common in Santa Monica than the California average (49.8% vs 75.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in Santa Monica, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Santa Monica 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 | Walked | Other | Public Transportation | Bicycle | Motorcycle | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 78.3% | 9.7% | 4.4% | 0.6% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 77.5% | 9.9% | 5.6% | 0.7% | 3.7% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 77.1% | 10.1% | 5.1% | 0.6% | 4.0% | 2.3% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 75.5% | 10.6% | 5.4% | 0.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 0.8% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 76.0% | 9.5% | 5.6% | 0.8% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 0.7% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 74.8% | 10.1% | 6.2% | 0.6% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 73.8% | 10.8% | 5.9% | 0.6% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 73.3% | 10.7% | 6.2% | 0.8% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 73.1% | 11.3% | 6.0% | 0.7% | 4.4% | 3.6% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| 2018 | 72.1% | 11.3% | 6.5% | 0.9% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| 2019 | 70.7% | 12.2% | 6.8% | 1.0% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 2020 | 68.4% | 16.1% | 6.5% | 1.1% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 2021 | 62.9% | 22.4% | 5.9% | 1.0% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| 2022 | 58.7% | 27.9% | 5.9% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 3.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2023 | 53.6% | 33.1% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 49.8% | 38.4% | 4.8% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 78.3% in 2009 to 49.8% in 2024, down 28.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 11 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Santa Monica: its share of workers rose from 9.7% in 2009 to 38.4% in 2024, up 28.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 26.2 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 4.3% to 2.2% of workers (down 2.1 percentage points).
Biking peaked at 4.3% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 1.9%.
Commute Start Times in Santa Monica
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Santa Monica?
The bars show when commuters in Santa Monica 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
Santa Monica1.5%
California6.7%
|
1.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Santa Monica2.4%
California4.5%
|
2.4% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Santa Monica2.6%
California4.5%
|
2.6% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Santa Monica3.7%
California8.4%
|
3.7% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Santa Monica6.7%
California7.5%
|
6.7% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Santa Monica8.7%
California13.1%
|
8.7% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Santa Monica10.8%
California10.2%
|
10.8% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Santa Monica16.4%
California12.6%
|
16.4% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Santa Monica13.1%
California5.8%
|
13.1% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Santa Monica16.8%
California8.6%
|
16.8% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Santa Monica8.1%
California3.9%
|
8.1% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Santa Monica1.8%
California1.8%
|
1.8% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Santa Monica4.7%
California6.9%
|
4.7% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Santa Monica2.8%
California5.5%
|
2.8% |
Santa Monica California Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Santa Monica is 9:00-9:59 AM, when 16.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 8.6% across California. Early starts are less common than in California: 6.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush looks much like California's: 42.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (34.1%) 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 Santa Monica, 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 Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica 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 | Santa Monica | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8:21 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 8:22 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 8:23 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 8:22 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 8:23 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 8:23 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 8:22 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 8:22 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 8:21 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 8:20 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 8:22 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 8:22 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 8:23 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:22 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:21 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:25 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Santa Monica were on the road by 8:25 AM, 4 minutes later than in 2009 (8:21 AM). Across California the shift was bigger still, with the typical start moving 6 minutes later. Commuters in Santa Monica now leave 47 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 Santa Monica has moved 3 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Santa Monica in the whole series.
How does Santa Monica's commute time compare?
| Metric | Santa Monica | California | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 22.2 min | 23.5 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 09:00 AM – 09:59 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 | 38.4% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 4.8% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.2% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Santa Monica is 22.2 minutes, shorter than the 23.5 minutes in California.
2.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.9% in California. 4.8% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in California.
Santa Monica, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
How Santa Monica, CA compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica, CA | 91,091 | 22.2 min #1/3 | 38.4% #1/3 | 8:25 AM #1/3 |
| Culver City, CA | 39,823 | 26.5 min | 32.9% | 8:29 AM |
| Beverly Hills, CA | 31,624 | 22.7 min | 30.1% | 8:40 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Santa Monica, California.
Is living in Santa Monica, California good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 185 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,732 at a typical national wage. That's 5% less than the typical California commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Santa Monica, California?
Traffic peaks between 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM in Santa Monica, 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 much money can remote workers save in Santa Monica, California?
About 38.4% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Santa Monica would save about 74 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,293 at the same national wage assumption used above.