Commuting in El Paso County, Colorado: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:34 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in El Paso County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:34 PM
Commute Time Burden in El Paso County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in El Paso County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 176 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 4% less time on the road than the Colorado average of 22.0 minutes each way, a difference of 0.9 minutes.
El Paso County holds about 12.7% of Colorado's population but accounts for roughly 12.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in El Paso County would save about 70 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,185 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)
El Paso County
21.1 min
42.3 min
176 hrs/yr
$5,462
2,273
Colorado
22.0 min
44.1 min
184 hrs/yr
$5,694
1,277
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
21.1
minutes to get to work in
El Paso County.
That's 6% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 75% of counties in Colorado
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 16.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in El Paso County
Car:
78.0%
Worked at Home:
16.8%
Walked:
3.3%
Other:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.4%
Public Transportation:
0.4%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%
Public transit is unusually rare in El Paso County: 4.4 times less than the Colorado average (0.4% vs 1.6%).
Commute Mode Trends in El Paso County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in El Paso 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
Walked
Other
Public Transportation
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
87.5%
5.5%
4.2%
0.7%
1.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.4%
2010
86.9%
5.6%
4.6%
0.7%
1.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.4%
2011
86.9%
5.8%
4.8%
0.7%
1.0%
0.4%
0.1%
0.3%
2012
87.1%
5.8%
4.7%
0.7%
0.9%
0.4%
0.0%
0.3%
2013
87.3%
5.7%
4.6%
0.7%
0.9%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
2014
87.7%
5.8%
4.1%
0.9%
0.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
2015
88.3%
5.7%
3.6%
0.8%
0.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
2016
88.3%
6.0%
3.5%
0.8%
0.7%
0.4%
0.0%
0.3%
2017
88.0%
6.3%
3.3%
0.8%
0.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
2018
87.8%
6.4%
3.6%
0.8%
0.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
2019
87.5%
6.9%
3.5%
0.7%
0.7%
0.5%
0.1%
0.2%
2020
85.4%
9.1%
3.4%
0.7%
0.7%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2021
83.4%
11.3%
3.3%
0.8%
0.6%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
81.4%
13.3%
3.4%
0.8%
0.4%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
2023
79.4%
15.4%
3.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
2024
78.0%
16.8%
3.3%
0.9%
0.4%
0.4%
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 2015 at 88.3%. Overall it fell from 87.5% in 2009 to 78.0% in 2024, down 9.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 8 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in El Paso County: its share of workers rose from 5.5% in 2009 to 16.8% in 2024, up 11.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 9.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.2% to 3.3% of workers (down 0.9 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in El Paso County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in El Paso County?
The bars show when commuters in El Paso 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 Colorado for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMEl Paso County4.1%Colorado4.6%
4.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMEl Paso County3.2%Colorado3.6%
3.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMEl Paso County6.2%Colorado5.0%
6.2%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMEl Paso County8.7%Colorado8.5%
8.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMEl Paso County11.1%Colorado10.2%
11.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMEl Paso County17.6%Colorado15.3%
17.6%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMEl Paso County12.0%Colorado12.8%
12.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMEl Paso County10.7%Colorado11.8%
10.7%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMEl Paso County4.9%Colorado5.4%
4.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMEl Paso County6.1%Colorado6.9%
6.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMEl Paso County3.1%Colorado3.2%
3.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMEl Paso County1.6%Colorado1.5%
1.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMEl Paso County5.6%Colorado6.0%
5.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMEl Paso County5.3%Colorado5.2%
5.3%
El Paso CountyColoradoSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in El Paso County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 17.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.3% across Colorado. Early starts are about as common as in Colorado: 13.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.1% there. The morning rush looks much like Colorado's: 51.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 50.1% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.7%) 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 El Paso 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 El Paso 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 El Paso County next to Colorado 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
El Paso County
Colorado
United States
2009
7:30 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:28 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:27 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:27 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:26 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:26 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:26 AM
7:34 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:28 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:27 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:28 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in El Paso County were on the road by 7:29 AM, 1 minute earlier than in 2009 (7:30 AM). Across Colorado, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in El Paso County now leave 9 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 El Paso County has moved 2 minutes later.
How does El Paso County's commute time compare?
Metric
El Paso County
Colorado
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
21.1 min
22.0 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
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
16.8%
21.0%
15.0%
Walked
3.3%
2.5%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.4%
1.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in El Paso County is 21.1 minutes, shorter than the 22.0 minutes in Colorado.
0.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.6% in Colorado. 3.3% commute by walking, higher than the 2.5% in Colorado.
El Paso County, CO Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
El Paso County, CO is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 742,974 residents against a local median of 169,356. The measure that sets El Paso County, CO apart most is work from home: 16.8%, 20% below the local median of 21.1%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.1 min against a local median of 25.2 min, 16% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 16% below the local median it puts El Paso County, CO at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 21.8% on work from home, so El Paso County, CO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. El Paso County, CO has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in El Paso County, Colorado.
Is commuting expensive in El Paso County, Colorado?
Commuters here spend an estimated 176 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,462 at a typical national wage. That's 4% less than the typical Colorado commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in El Paso County, Colorado?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in El Paso County, Colorado. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in El Paso County, Colorado?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.4% of commuters use it versus 1.6% in Colorado, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Colorado?
Among counties in Colorado, the shortest average commutes are in Hinsdale County (6.6 min), Prowers County (7.6 min), Cheyenne County (7.7 min). The longest are in Park County (42.5 min), Elbert County (41.5 min), Teller County (31.3 min).