Aurora Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Aurora, Illinois: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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Commute Time Burden in Aurora: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Aurora spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting. That is 2% less time on the road than the Illinois average of 23.6 minutes each way, a difference of 0.4 minutes.
Aurora holds about 1.3% of Illinois's population and accounts for roughly 1.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Aurora would save about 77 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,402 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | 23.2 min | 46.5 min | 194 hrs/yr | $6,006 | 3,804 |
| Illinois | 23.6 min | 47.3 min | 197 hrs/yr | $6,104 | 1,547 |
| 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.
Aurora Commute Map
On average, it takes 23.2 minutes to get to work in Aurora. That's 4% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 15.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Aurora
- Car: 79.1%
- Worked at Home: 15.3%
- Public Transportation: 2.4%
- Walked: 1.6%
- Other: 1.1%
- Taxi: 0.3%
- Bicycle: 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Biking is unusually rare in Aurora: 3.7 times less than the Illinois average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
Commute Mode Trends in Aurora, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Aurora 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 | Taxi | Bicycle | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 88.1% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 87.9% | 3.5% | 4.6% | 1.2% | 2.0% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 87.8% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 87.8% | 3.5% | 4.8% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 89.1% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 89.4% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2015 | 89.6% | 3.7% | 4.2% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 89.8% | 4.0% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 89.6% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 89.1% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 89.0% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 87.1% | 5.8% | 4.2% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 84.1% | 9.1% | 3.8% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 82.1% | 11.3% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 80.0% | 13.6% | 3.2% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 79.1% | 15.3% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2016 at 89.8%. Overall it fell from 88.1% in 2009 to 79.1% in 2024, down 9.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 8 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Aurora: its share of workers rose from 3.2% in 2009 to 15.3% in 2024, up 12.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 11.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 4.7% to 2.4% of workers (down 2.3 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Aurora
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Aurora?
The bars show when commuters in Aurora 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 Illinois for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Aurora6.1%
Illinois5.6%
|
6.1% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Aurora5.5%
Illinois4.3%
|
5.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Aurora5.7%
Illinois4.9%
|
5.7% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Aurora10.1%
Illinois9.0%
|
10.1% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Aurora8.9%
Illinois9.4%
|
8.9% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Aurora12.2%
Illinois14.3%
|
12.2% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Aurora8.6%
Illinois11.6%
|
8.6% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Aurora10.5%
Illinois11.2%
|
10.5% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Aurora4.6%
Illinois5.2%
|
4.6% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Aurora6.1%
Illinois6.1%
|
6.1% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Aurora3.4%
Illinois2.9%
|
3.4% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Aurora1.2%
Illinois1.5%
|
1.2% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Aurora9.9%
Illinois7.7%
|
9.9% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Aurora7.3%
Illinois6.3%
|
7.3% |
Aurora Illinois Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Aurora is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 12.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.3% across Illinois. Early starts are more common than in Illinois: 17.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Illinois: 40.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.5% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (27.9%) 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 Aurora, 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 Aurora 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 Aurora next to Illinois 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 | Aurora | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:27 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:27 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:28 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:28 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:29 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:28 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:29 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:29 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:30 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:29 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:31 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:35 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Aurora were on the road by 7:35 AM, 9 minutes later than in 2009 (7:27 AM). The shift is sharper than across Illinois, where the typical start moved 1 minute later. Commuters in Aurora now leave 2 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 Aurora has moved 7 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Aurora in the whole series.
How does Aurora's commute time compare?
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 23.2 min | 23.6 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 15.3% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.4% | 5.8% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Aurora is 23.2 minutes, shorter than the 23.6 minutes in Illinois.
2.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 5.8% in Illinois. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 2.8% in Illinois.
Aurora, IL Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Aurora, IL is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 168,587 residents against a local median of 22,110. Where Aurora, IL breaks from the cities next to it is one-way commute, sitting 18% below the local median of 28.4 min at 23.2 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread 6.5 min on one-way commute, so Aurora, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Aurora, IL has the lowest one-way commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, IL | 168,587 | 23.2 min #1/4 | 15.3% #3/4 | 7:35 AM #4/4 |
| Montgomery, IL | 21,311 | 30.2 min | 13.5% | 7:18 AM |
| Batavia, IL | 22,110 | 23.7 min | 21.5% | 7:28 AM |
| Oswego, IL | 24,175 | 28.4 min | 16.5% | 7:21 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Aurora, Illinois.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Aurora, Illinois?
Commuters here spend an estimated 194 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,006 at a typical national wage. That's 2% less than the typical Illinois commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Aurora, Illinois?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Aurora, Illinois. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.