Park Ridge Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Park Ridge, 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 Park Ridge: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Park Ridge spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 221 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 12% more time on the road than the Illinois average of 23.6 minutes each way, a difference of 2.9 minutes.
Park Ridge holds about 0.3% of Illinois's population and accounts for roughly 0.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Park Ridge would save about 88 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,743 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ridge | 26.5 min | 53.1 min | 221 hrs/yr | $6,858 | 4,253 |
| 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.
Park Ridge Commute Map
On average, it takes 26.5 minutes to get to work in Park Ridge. That's 18% 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 23.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Park Ridge
- Car: 65.5%
- Worked at Home: 23.1%
- Public Transportation: 8.5%
- Walked: 1.6%
- Other: 1.0%
- Bicycle: 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Park Ridge: 3.7 times less than the Illinois average (0.1% vs 0.3%).
Biking is unusually rare in Park Ridge: 4.2 times less than the Illinois average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
Commute Mode Trends in Park Ridge, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Park Ridge 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 | 81.4% | 4.9% | 10.2% | 2.7% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | 4.4% | 10.1% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.6% | 5.0% | 10.2% | 3.2% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 79.8% | 5.5% | 10.0% | 3.4% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 79.5% | 5.1% | 10.6% | 3.6% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 80.0% | 6.0% | 10.6% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2015 | 78.8% | 6.1% | 11.9% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 77.7% | 6.7% | 12.2% | 2.2% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 76.8% | 6.8% | 12.8% | 2.4% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 76.3% | 7.0% | 13.3% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 76.4% | 7.0% | 13.2% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 74.2% | 10.2% | 12.0% | 2.7% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 70.9% | 14.8% | 11.0% | 2.3% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 67.1% | 19.4% | 10.3% | 1.9% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 67.0% | 21.6% | 8.4% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 65.5% | 23.1% | 8.5% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 81.4% in 2009 to 65.5% in 2024, down 15.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Park Ridge: its share of workers rose from 4.9% in 2009 to 23.1% in 2024, up 18.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 16.1 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 10.2% to 8.5% of workers (down 1.7 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Park Ridge
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Park Ridge?
The bars show when commuters in Park Ridge 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
Park Ridge3.4%
Illinois5.6%
|
3.4% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Park Ridge2.6%
Illinois4.3%
|
2.6% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Park Ridge2.5%
Illinois4.9%
|
2.5% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Park Ridge6.0%
Illinois9.0%
|
6.0% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Park Ridge8.0%
Illinois9.4%
|
8.0% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Park Ridge17.5%
Illinois14.3%
|
17.5% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Park Ridge13.0%
Illinois11.6%
|
13.0% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Park Ridge15.6%
Illinois11.2%
|
15.6% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Park Ridge5.5%
Illinois5.2%
|
5.5% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Park Ridge9.8%
Illinois6.1%
|
9.8% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Park Ridge5.8%
Illinois2.9%
|
5.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Park Ridge1.4%
Illinois1.5%
|
1.4% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Park Ridge5.4%
Illinois7.7%
|
5.4% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Park Ridge3.8%
Illinois6.3%
|
3.8% |
Park Ridge Illinois Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Park Ridge is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 17.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.3% across Illinois. Early starts are less common than in Illinois: 8.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Illinois: 54.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.5% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.2%) 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 Park Ridge, 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 Park Ridge 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 Park Ridge 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 | Park Ridge | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:48 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:44 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:43 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:42 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:42 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:43 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:44 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:45 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:46 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:46 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:47 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:50 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Park Ridge were on the road by 7:54 AM, 5 minutes later than in 2009 (7:48 AM). The shift is sharper than across Illinois, where the typical start moved 1 minute later. Commuters in Park Ridge now leave 16 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 Park Ridge has moved 7 minutes later.
How does Park Ridge's commute time compare?
| Metric | Park Ridge | Illinois | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 26.5 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 | 23.1% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 8.5% | 5.8% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Park Ridge is 26.5 minutes, longer than the 23.6 minutes in Illinois.
8.5% commute by public transit, higher than the 5.8% in Illinois. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 2.8% in Illinois.
Park Ridge, IL Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
How Park Ridge, IL compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Ridge, IL | 37,584 | 26.5 min #2/2 | 23.1% #1/2 | 7:54 AM #2/2 |
| Niles, IL | 28,688 | 25.7 min | 11.6% | 7:52 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Park Ridge, Illinois.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Park Ridge, Illinois?
Commuters here spend an estimated 221 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,858 at a typical national wage. That's 12% more than the typical Illinois commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Park Ridge, Illinois?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Park Ridge, 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.
Is Park Ridge, Illinois a good location for remote and hybrid workers?
About 23.1% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Park Ridge would save about 88 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,743 at the same national wage assumption used above.