Commuting in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 3:33 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
Map AI9/24/26, 3:33 PM
Commute Time Burden in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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% more time on the road than the Connecticut average of 22.1 minutes each way, a difference of 0.7 minutes.
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region holds about 4.9% of Connecticut's population but accounts for roughly 5.0% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region would save about 76 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,356 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)
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
22.8 min
45.6 min
190 hrs/yr
$5,890
1,592
Connecticut
22.1 min
44.2 min
184 hrs/yr
$5,704
1,748
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
22.8
minutes to get to work in
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
That's 2% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 16.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Car:
77.8%
Worked at Home:
16.9%
Walked:
2.3%
Other:
1.3%
Public Transportation:
1.2%
Bicycle:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
0.2%unusually high
Taxi:
0.1%
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: 3.4 times more than the Connecticut average (0.2% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Taxi
2009
90.2%
4.3%
3.0%
0.7%
1.5%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2010
89.9%
4.5%
3.1%
0.6%
1.6%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2011
89.2%
5.2%
2.8%
0.8%
1.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2012
89.4%
5.1%
2.7%
0.8%
1.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2013
89.7%
5.0%
2.7%
0.6%
1.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2014
89.6%
4.8%
2.9%
0.8%
1.7%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2015
89.4%
4.9%
2.8%
0.9%
1.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2016
89.0%
5.4%
2.8%
0.8%
1.7%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2017
88.7%
5.6%
2.8%
0.9%
1.7%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2018
88.4%
6.2%
2.6%
1.0%
1.5%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
88.2%
6.1%
3.0%
0.9%
1.6%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
85.5%
8.5%
3.4%
0.9%
1.3%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2021
83.5%
10.9%
3.3%
1.0%
1.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2022
81.1%
13.7%
3.0%
0.9%
1.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2023
79.5%
15.2%
2.7%
1.0%
1.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2024
77.8%
16.9%
2.3%
1.3%
1.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 90.2% in 2009 to 77.8% in 2024, down 12.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 11 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: its share of workers rose from 4.3% in 2009 to 16.9% in 2024, up 12.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.0% to 2.3% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
🚦Rush-Hour RegularsThe 2nd-highest share of rush-hour departures among Connecticut's 9 counties: 51.1% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
The bars show when commuters in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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 Connecticut for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region3.0%Connecticut3.8%
3.0%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region3.4%Connecticut2.9%
3.4%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region3.3%Connecticut4.2%
3.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region8.8%Connecticut7.8%
8.8%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region10.0%Connecticut10.2%
10.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region15.3%Connecticut13.9%
15.3%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region13.2%Connecticut12.6%
13.2%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region12.6%Connecticut12.9%
12.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region6.1%Connecticut7.3%
6.1%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region7.8%Connecticut7.4%
7.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region2.9%Connecticut3.1%
2.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region1.7%Connecticut1.6%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region7.6%Connecticut7.0%
7.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMLower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region4.4%Connecticut5.4%
4.4%
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning RegionConnecticutSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 15.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.9% across Connecticut. Early starts are less common than in Connecticut: 9.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.9% there. The morning rush looks much like Connecticut's: 51.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.6% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.4%) 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region next to Connecticut 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
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Connecticut
United States
2009
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:44 AM
7:46 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:44 AM
7:46 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:46 AM
7:46 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:45 AM
7:46 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:45 AM
7:46 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:44 AM
7:46 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:41 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:41 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:43 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:43 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:44 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:46 AM
7:46 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:46 AM
7:46 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:44 AM
7:47 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region were on the road by 7:44 AM, almost exactly the same as in 2009. Across Connecticut, meanwhile, the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region now leave 6 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has moved 2 minutes later.
How does Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's commute time compare?
Metric
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Connecticut
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
22.8 min
22.1 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
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
16.9%
16.2%
15.0%
Walked
2.3%
2.3%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.2%
3.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 22.8 minutes, longer than the 22.1 minutes in Connecticut.
1.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.2% in Connecticut. The share of commuters using walking is about the same as Connecticut.
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 163,295 residents against a local median of 516,000. The measure that sets Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT apart most is work from home: 16.9%, 34% above the local median of 12.6%.
The counties themselves spread 5.4% on work from home, so Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Area
Population
One-way commute
Work from home
Typical departure
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Common questions about commuting in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut.
Is commuting expensive in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
Commuters here spend an estimated 190 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,890 at a typical national wage. That's 3% more than the typical Connecticut commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut. 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Connecticut?
Among counties in Connecticut, the shortest average commutes are in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (20.6 min), South Central Connecticut Planning Region (20.9 min), Capitol Planning Region (21.4 min). The longest are in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region (26.0 min), Greater Bridgeport Planning Region (23.9 min), Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (23.5 min).