South Pasadena Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in South Pasadena, 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 Pasadena: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in South Pasadena spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 230 hours, about 9.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 18% more time on the road than the California average of 23.5 minutes each way, a difference of 4.1 minutes.
South Pasadena holds about 0.1% of California's population and accounts for roughly 0.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in South Pasadena would save about 92 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,854 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 Pasadena | 27.6 min | 55.2 min | 230 hrs/yr | $7,134 | 5,097 |
| 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 Pasadena Commute Map
On average, it takes 27.6 minutes to get to work in South Pasadena. That's 23% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 29.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in South Pasadena
- Car: 64.2%
- Worked at Home: 29.9%
- Public Transportation: 3.6%
- Walked: 0.9%
- Other: 0.8%
- Bicycle: 0.5%
- Motorcycle: 0.1%
- Taxi: < 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in South Pasadena, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in South Pasadena 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 | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 87.7% | 5.0% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 2010 | 88.0% | 5.1% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2011 | 88.5% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 87.6% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 86.4% | 5.8% | 5.4% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.0% | 6.8% | 6.0% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.0% | 8.7% | 6.2% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2016 | 82.6% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 83.3% | 8.9% | 4.9% | 1.2% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2018 | 83.0% | 8.2% | 5.1% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 81.4% | 8.2% | 4.6% | 2.1% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.3% | 11.5% | 5.4% | 2.3% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 72.6% | 17.4% | 5.0% | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 66.8% | 23.5% | 4.8% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2023 | 65.6% | 26.2% | 3.5% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2024 | 64.2% | 29.9% | 3.6% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2011 at 88.5%. Overall it fell from 87.7% in 2009 to 64.2% in 2024, down 23.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in South Pasadena: its share of workers rose from 5.0% in 2009 to 29.9% in 2024, up 24.9 percentage points. Most of that increase, 21.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 1.6% to 0.9% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Public transit peaked at 6.2% in 2015 and has since fallen back to 3.6%.
Commute Start Times in South Pasadena
What Time Do People Leave for Work in South Pasadena?
The bars show when commuters in South Pasadena 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 Pasadena1.3%
California6.7%
|
1.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
South Pasadena0.8%
California4.5%
|
0.8% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
South Pasadena5.1%
California4.5%
|
5.1% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
South Pasadena4.8%
California8.4%
|
4.8% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
South Pasadena5.5%
California7.5%
|
5.5% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
South Pasadena8.9%
California13.1%
|
8.9% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
South Pasadena12.0%
California10.2%
|
12.0% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
South Pasadena20.7%
California12.6%
|
20.7% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
South Pasadena11.0%
California5.8%
|
11.0% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
South Pasadena14.8%
California8.6%
|
14.8% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
South Pasadena4.0%
California3.9%
|
4.0% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
South Pasadena2.1%
California1.8%
|
2.1% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
South Pasadena5.6%
California6.9%
|
5.6% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
South Pasadena3.5%
California5.5%
|
3.5% |
South Pasadena California Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in South Pasadena is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 20.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.6% across California. Early starts are less common than in California: 7.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in California: 47.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.3% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (30.0%) 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 Pasadena, 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 Pasadena 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 Pasadena 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 Pasadena | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:53 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 8:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 8:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 8:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 8:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:55 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:58 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 8:01 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 8:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:15 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:17 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in South Pasadena were on the road by 8:17 AM, 18 minutes later than in 2009 (7:59 AM). The shift is sharper than across California, where the typical start moved 6 minutes later. Commuters in South Pasadena now leave 39 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 South Pasadena has moved 19 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for South Pasadena in the whole series.
How does South Pasadena's commute time compare?
| Metric | South Pasadena | California | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 27.6 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 | 29.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 0.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 3.6% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in South Pasadena is 27.6 minutes, longer than the 23.5 minutes in California.
3.6% commute by public transit, higher than the 2.9% in California. 0.9% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in California.
South Pasadena, CA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
South Pasadena, CA is the smallest of the 4 cities compared here, 26,044 residents against a local median of 80,973. The measure that sets South Pasadena, CA apart most is work from home: 29.9%, 107% above the local median of 14.4%.
The cities themselves spread 14.1% on work from home, so South Pasadena, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. South Pasadena, CA has the highest work from home of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Pasadena, CA | 26,044 | 27.6 min #3/4 | 29.9% #1/4 | 8:17 AM #3/4 |
| Alhambra, CA | 80,973 | 28.2 min | 14.4% | 8:03 AM |
| Pasadena, CA | 138,535 | 22.6 min | 27.3% | 8:07 AM |
| San Gabriel, CA | 40,046 | 26.8 min | 13.3% | 8:23 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in South Pasadena, California.
Is living in South Pasadena, California good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 230 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,134 at a typical national wage. That's 18% more than the typical California commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in South Pasadena, California?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in South Pasadena, 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 South Pasadena, California?
About 29.9% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in South Pasadena would save about 92 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,854 at the same national wage assumption used above.