South Gate Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in South Gate, 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 South Gate: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in South Gate spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 257 hours, about 10.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 31% more time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 7.4 minutes.
South Gate holds about 0.2% of California's population but accounts for roughly 0.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in South Gate would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,188 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Gate | 30.9 min | 61.7 min | 257 hrs/yr | $7,971 | 5,346 |
| 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.
South Gate Commute Map
On average, it takes 30.9 minutes to get to work in South Gate. That's 38% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 7.0% work from home.
How People Get to Work in South Gate
- Car: 85.1%
- Worked at Home: 7.0%
- Public Transportation: 3.8%
- Walked: 1.9%
- Other: 1.8%
- Motorcycle: 0.3%
- Bicycle: 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in South Gate: 3.2 times less than the California average (0.1% vs 0.2%).
Biking is unusually rare in South Gate: 6.1 times less than the California average (0.1% vs 0.7%).
Commute Mode Trends in South Gate, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in South Gate 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 | Motorcycle | Taxi | Bicycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 86.7% | 1.8% | 7.2% | 2.2% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2010 | 87.7% | 1.4% | 7.2% | 2.3% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 88.8% | 1.6% | 6.8% | 1.9% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 87.7% | 1.8% | 7.4% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2013 | 87.3% | 2.3% | 6.9% | 2.3% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 2014 | 85.9% | 2.8% | 7.8% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 2015 | 85.0% | 3.3% | 7.8% | 2.0% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| 2016 | 84.9% | 3.3% | 7.7% | 2.0% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| 2017 | 85.8% | 3.2% | 7.1% | 1.9% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| 2018 | 87.3% | 2.7% | 6.3% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| 2019 | 88.1% | 2.7% | 5.8% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 2020 | 88.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 87.0% | 5.3% | 4.1% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2022 | 86.0% | 6.1% | 4.0% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2023 | 85.6% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 85.1% | 7.0% | 3.8% | 1.9% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2011 at 88.8% and lowest in 2016 at 84.9%. Overall it fell from 86.7% in 2009 to 85.1% in 2024, down 1.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 4 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in South Gate: its share of workers rose from 1.8% in 2009 to 7.0% in 2024, up 5.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 4.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 7.2% to 3.8% of workers (down 3.4 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in South Gate
What Time Do People Leave for Work in South Gate?
The bars show when commuters in South Gate 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
South Gate12.4%
California6.7%
|
12.4% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
South Gate6.5%
California4.5%
|
6.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
South Gate5.0%
California4.5%
|
5.0% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
South Gate9.8%
California8.4%
|
9.8% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
South Gate7.6%
California7.5%
|
7.6% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
South Gate14.4%
California13.1%
|
14.4% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
South Gate7.0%
California10.2%
|
7.0% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
South Gate9.9%
California12.6%
|
9.9% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
South Gate4.5%
California5.8%
|
4.5% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
South Gate6.4%
California8.6%
|
6.4% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
South Gate2.5%
California3.9%
|
2.5% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
South Gate0.6%
California1.8%
|
0.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
South Gate8.2%
California6.9%
|
8.2% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
South Gate5.2%
California5.5%
|
5.2% |
South Gate California Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in South Gate is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.1% across California. Early starts are more common than in California: 23.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in California: 38.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (22.9%) 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 South Gate, 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 South Gate 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 South Gate 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 | South Gate | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:11 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:14 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:13 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:17 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:15 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:14 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:14 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:13 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:18 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:17 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:18 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:18 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in South Gate were on the road by 7:18 AM, 8 minutes later than in 2009 (7:11 AM). California followed the same path, with the typical start moving 6 minutes later. Commuters in South Gate now leave 20 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in South Gate has moved 5 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for South Gate in the whole series.
How does South Gate's commute time compare?
| Metric | South Gate | California | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 30.9 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 | 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 7.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 3.8% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in South Gate is 30.9 minutes, longer than the 23.5 minutes in California.
3.8% commute by public transit, higher than the 2.9% in California. 1.9% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in California.
South Gate, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
South Gate, CA is the largest of the 5 cities compared here, 90,685 residents against a local median of 43,435. Where South Gate, CA breaks from the cities next to it is work from home, sitting 60% above the local median of 4.4% at 7.0%.
The cities themselves spread 1.8% on work from home, so South Gate, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. South Gate, CA has the highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Gate, CA | 90,685 | 30.9 min #4/5 | 7.0% #1/5 | 7:18 AM #3/5 |
| Cudahy, CA | 21,960 | 30.1 min | 4.4% | 7:09 AM |
| Lynwood, CA | 62,939 | 30.2 min | 4.0% | 7:20 AM |
| Bell, CA | 33,319 | 30.5 min | 4.3% | 7:04 AM |
| Huntington Park, CA | 53,550 | 31.0 min | 5.8% | 7:24 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in South Gate, California.
Is living in South Gate, California good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 257 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,971 at a typical national wage. That's 31% more than the typical California commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in South Gate, California?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in South Gate, California. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.