Pricing
Map Drive-Time Zone10-min drive time • PDF report

Honolulu County Commute Time Map & Patterns

Help

Commuting in Honolulu County, Hawaii: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 10/21/26, 11:44 PM
Is the commute in Honolulu County longer than the national average?
Map AI 10/21/26, 11:44 PM

Commute Time Burden in Honolulu County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Honolulu County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 3% more time on the road than the Hawaii average of 22.8 minutes each way, a difference of 0.7 minutes.

Honolulu County holds about 69.3% of Hawaii's population but accounts for roughly 71.4% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Honolulu County would save about 78 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,427 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)
Honolulu County 23.5 min 47.0 min 196 hrs/yr $6,066 3,939
Hawaii 22.8 min 45.5 min 190 hrs/yr $5,883 2,478
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.

Commute Time Map: Hawaii Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Hawaii
  1. Kalawao County (4.4 min)
  2. Maui County (18.9 min)
  3. Kauai County (21.4 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Hawaii
  1. Honolulu County (23.5 min)
  2. Hawaii County (21.4 min)
  3. Kauai County (21.4 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Honolulu County
Click a county to open it Explore the map →
Average commute time

On average, it takes 23.5 minutes to get to work in Honolulu County. That's 5% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Slowest county in Hawaii

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 9.1% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Honolulu County

  • Car: 77.3%
  • Worked at Home: 9.1%
  • Walked: 5.1%
  • Public Transportation: 4.9%
  • Other: 1.7%
  • Bicycle: 1.0%
  • Motorcycle: 0.6%
  • Taxi: 0.2%

Commute Mode Trends in Honolulu County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Honolulu 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 Public Transportation Other Bicycle Motorcycle Taxi
2009 80.7% 3.5% 5.4% 7.4% 1.2% 1.0% 0.7% 0.1%
2010 80.2% 3.4% 5.4% 7.8% 1.5% 0.9% 0.7% 0.1%
2011 79.9% 3.6% 5.3% 7.9% 1.6% 0.9% 0.7% 0.0%
2012 79.6% 3.6% 5.3% 8.0% 1.7% 1.0% 0.8% 0.0%
2013 79.5% 3.4% 5.2% 8.1% 1.8% 1.1% 0.9% 0.1%
2014 79.0% 3.5% 5.2% 8.4% 1.9% 1.1% 0.9% 0.1%
2015 78.8% 3.7% 5.1% 8.4% 1.8% 1.2% 0.9% 0.1%
2016 78.4% 3.7% 5.1% 8.7% 1.9% 1.2% 0.9% 0.1%
2017 78.4% 3.7% 5.4% 8.6% 2.0% 1.1% 0.8% 0.1%
2018 78.5% 3.9% 5.4% 8.4% 2.0% 1.0% 0.7% 0.1%
2019 78.9% 4.0% 5.4% 8.1% 1.9% 0.9% 0.7% 0.1%
2020 78.7% 5.1% 5.5% 7.1% 2.0% 0.9% 0.6% 0.1%
2021 78.7% 6.4% 5.1% 6.3% 1.8% 0.9% 0.6% 0.1%
2022 78.6% 7.4% 4.9% 5.6% 1.8% 0.9% 0.7% 0.1%
2023 77.8% 8.4% 5.0% 5.3% 1.7% 1.0% 0.7% 0.1%
2024 77.3% 9.1% 5.1% 4.9% 1.7% 1.0% 0.6% 0.2%

Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 80.7% in 2009 to 77.3% in 2024, down 3.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 3 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Honolulu County: its share of workers rose from 3.5% in 2009 to 9.1% in 2024, up 5.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.1 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 7.4% to 4.9% of workers (down 2.5 percentage points).

Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.

Commute Start Times in Honolulu County

  • Rush-Hour DodgersThe lowest share of rush-hour departures among Hawaii's 5 counties: only 42.8% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
  • Hitting SnoozeThe biggest shift to later mornings among Hawaii's 5 counties: the typical start is 9 minutes later than in 2009.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Honolulu County?

The bars show when commuters in Honolulu 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 Hawaii for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.

12:00-4:59 AM
7.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
7.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
11.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
10.9%
7:00-7:29 AM
13.9%
7:30-7:59 AM
8.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
9.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
3.8%
9:00-9:59 AM
6.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
2.8%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
6.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4.4%

Honolulu County Hawaii Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Honolulu County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.9% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.5% across Hawaii. Early starts are more common than in Hawaii: 20.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 19.0% there. The morning rush looks much like Hawaii's: 42.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 44.2% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.4%) 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 Honolulu 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 Honolulu 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 Honolulu County next to Hawaii 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 Honolulu County Hawaii United States
2009 7:06 AM 7:11 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:07 AM 7:12 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:09 AM 7:13 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:09 AM 7:13 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:09 AM 7:14 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:10 AM 7:15 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:10 AM 7:15 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:12 AM 7:16 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:13 AM 7:17 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:15 AM 7:18 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:15 AM 7:18 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Honolulu County were on the road by 7:15 AM, 9 minutes later than in 2009 (7:06 AM). Hawaii followed the same path, with the typical start moving 7 minutes later. Commuters in Honolulu County now leave 22 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 Honolulu County has moved 6 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Honolulu County in the whole series.

How does Honolulu County's commute time compare?

Metric Honolulu County Hawaii US Average
Avg. Commute Time 23.5 min 22.8 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 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 9.1% 9.6% 15.0%
Walked 5.1% 4.2% 2.4%
Public Transit 4.9% 3.8% 3.2%

The average commute time in Honolulu County is about the same as in Hawaii.

4.9% commute by public transit, higher than the 3.8% in Hawaii. 5.1% commute by walking, higher than the 4.2% in Hawaii.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Honolulu County, HI Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Honolulu County, HI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 997,376 residents against a local median of 73,731. Honolulu County, HI's one-way commute, at 23.5 min, runs 24% above the 18.9 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.

The counties themselves spread 17.0 min on one-way commute, so Honolulu County, HI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Honolulu County, HI has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Honolulu County, HI 997,376 23.5 min #6/6 9.1% #4/6 7:15 AM #2/6
Kauai County, HI 73,731 21.4 min 8.6% 7:24 AM
Kalawao County, HI 67 4.4 min 6.1% 5:55 AM
Maui County, HI 164,522 18.9 min 10.2% 7:28 AM
Hawaii County, HI 204,351 21.4 min 12.1% 7:23 AM
Aleutians East Borough, AK 3,491 6.1 min 11.5% 7:35 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Honolulu County, Hawaii.

How much does the average commute cost workers in Honolulu County, Hawaii?

Commuters here spend an estimated 196 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,066 at a typical national wage. That's 3% more than the typical Hawaii commuter spends.

When is rush hour worst in Honolulu County, Hawaii?

Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Honolulu County, Hawaii. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Hawaii?

Among counties in Hawaii, the shortest average commutes are in Kalawao County (4.4 min), Maui County (18.9 min), Kauai County (21.4 min). The longest are in Honolulu County (23.5 min), Hawaii County (21.4 min), Kauai County (21.4 min).