Santa Monica Commute Time Map & Patterns

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You 8/20/26, 2:21 PM
Is the commute in Santa Monica longer than the national average?
Map AI 8/20/26, 2:21 PM

Commute Time Burden in Santa Monica: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Santa Monica spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 190 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.

That is 3% less time on the road than the California average of 23.6 minutes each way, a difference of 0.8 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 76 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,358 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 22.8 min 45.6 min 190 hrs/yr $5,895 3,868
California 23.6 min 47.2 min 197 hrs/yr $6,099 2,449
United States 22.5 min 44.9 min 187 hrs/yr $5,803 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 22.8 minutes to get to work in Santa Monica. That's 2% longer than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM , followed by 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM .

Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 33.1% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 53.6% unusually low
  • Worked at Home: 33.1%
  • Walked: 5.4%
  • Public Transportation: 2.8%
  • Bicycle: 2.7% unusually high
  • Other: 2.1%
  • Motorcycle: 0.3%
  • Taxi: < 0.1%

Car commuting in Santa Monica is 30% lower than the California average (53.6% vs 76.6%).

Bicycle commuting is unusually common in Santa Monica: 3.7 times more than the California average (2.7% vs 0.7%).

How does Santa Monica's commute time compare?

Metric Santa Monica California US Average
Avg. Commute Time 22.8 min 23.6 min 22.5 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 33.1% 15.5% 13.4%
Walked 5.4% 2.4% 2.4%
Public Transit 2.8% 3.2% 3.5%

The average commute time in Santa Monica is 22.8 minutes, shorter than the 23.6 minutes in California.

2.8% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.2% in California. 5.4% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in California.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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 190 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,895 at a typical national wage. That's 3% less than the typical California commuter spends.

When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Santa Monica, California?

Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Santa Monica, 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 much money can remote workers save in Santa Monica, California?

About 33.1% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Santa Monica would save about 76 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,358 at the same national wage assumption used above.