Essex County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCompare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Essex County.
Commute from My AddressCommute Time Burden in Essex County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Essex 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 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
That is 9% less time on the road than the Massachusetts average of 25.7 minutes each way, a difference of 2.2 minutes.
Essex County holds about 11.5% of Massachusetts's population but accounts for roughly 10.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Essex County would save about 78 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,425 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County | 23.5 min | 46.9 min | 196 hrs/yr | $6,062 | 2,726 |
| Massachusetts | 25.7 min | 51.3 min | 214 hrs/yr | $6,632 | 2,164 |
| United States | 22.5 min | 44.9 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,803 | 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: Massachusetts Counties
- Nantucket County (13.8 min)
- Dukes County (15.4 min)
- Berkshire County (16.7 min)
- Norfolk County (31.2 min)
- Suffolk County (30.4 min)
- Plymouth County (28.6 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 23.5 minutes to get to work in Essex County. That's 4% longer than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM , followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM .
Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 14.6% work from home.
Commute mode distribution
- Car: 76.3%
- Worked at Home: 14.6%
- Public Transportation: 3.7%
- Walked: 2.8%
- Other: 1.7%
- Taxi: 0.7%
- Bicycle: 0.2% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Bicycle commuting is unusually low in Essex County: 4.5 times less than the Massachusetts average (0.2% vs 0.8%).
How does Essex County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 23.5 min | 25.7 min | 22.5 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 14.6% | 16.7% | 13.4% |
| Walked | 2.8% | 4.2% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 3.7% | 7.0% | 3.5% |
The average commute time in Essex County is 23.5 minutes, shorter than the 25.7 minutes in Massachusetts.
3.7% commute by public transit, lower than the 7.0% in Massachusetts. 2.8% commute by walking, lower than the 4.2% in Massachusetts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Essex County, Massachusetts.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Essex County, Massachusetts?
Commuters here spend an estimated 196 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,062 at a typical national wage. That's 9% less than the typical Massachusetts commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Essex County, Massachusetts?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Essex County, Massachusetts. 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.
How do commute times compare across counties in Massachusetts?
Among counties in Massachusetts, the shortest average commutes are in Nantucket County (13.8 min), Dukes County (15.4 min), Berkshire County (16.7 min). The longest are in Norfolk County (31.2 min), Suffolk County (30.4 min), Plymouth County (28.6 min).