Commuting in Baltimore city, Maryland: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/25/26, 11:05 AM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Baltimore city?
Map AI9/25/26, 11:05 AM
Commute Time Burden in Baltimore city: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Baltimore city spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 199 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 16% less time on the road than the Maryland average of 28.3 minutes each way, a difference of 4.4 minutes.
Baltimore city holds about 9.2% of Maryland's population but accounts for roughly 7.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Baltimore city would save about 80 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,465 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)
Baltimore city
23.9 min
47.7 min
199 hrs/yr
$6,163
3,141
Maryland
28.3 min
56.5 min
236 hrs/yr
$7,301
2,353
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
23.9
minutes to get to work in
Baltimore city.
That's 6% 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 17.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Baltimore city
Car:
62.6%
Worked at Home:
17.8%
Public Transportation:
10.3%
Walked:
5.6%
Other:
1.7%
Taxi:
1.3%
Bicycle:
0.6%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Baltimore city, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Baltimore city 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
Public Transportation
Walked
Other
Taxi
Bicycle
Motorcycle
2009
70.1%
2.6%
18.6%
6.8%
0.9%
0.4%
0.5%
0.1%
2010
70.2%
2.7%
18.5%
6.8%
0.7%
0.5%
0.6%
0.0%
2011
70.6%
2.7%
18.4%
6.5%
0.7%
0.4%
0.7%
0.1%
2012
70.3%
2.8%
18.2%
6.5%
0.8%
0.4%
0.8%
0.1%
2013
70.5%
2.8%
17.8%
6.6%
0.9%
0.4%
0.9%
0.1%
2014
70.2%
2.8%
18.2%
6.7%
0.8%
0.4%
0.8%
0.1%
2015
69.5%
3.1%
18.6%
6.7%
0.9%
0.4%
0.8%
0.1%
2016
69.0%
3.7%
18.4%
6.7%
0.9%
0.4%
0.8%
0.0%
2017
69.1%
3.8%
18.2%
6.6%
0.9%
0.5%
0.8%
0.0%
2018
69.0%
4.2%
18.0%
6.4%
1.0%
0.5%
0.9%
0.0%
2019
69.0%
4.5%
17.5%
6.4%
1.0%
0.6%
0.9%
0.1%
2020
67.8%
7.1%
16.1%
6.2%
1.2%
0.6%
0.9%
0.1%
2021
66.0%
10.7%
14.4%
5.9%
1.4%
0.7%
0.8%
0.1%
2022
65.2%
13.4%
12.8%
5.5%
1.6%
0.7%
0.7%
0.1%
2023
63.7%
15.9%
11.5%
5.6%
1.7%
0.9%
0.6%
0.1%
2024
62.6%
17.8%
10.3%
5.6%
1.7%
1.3%
0.6%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2011 at 70.6%. Overall it fell from 70.1% in 2009 to 62.6% in 2024, down 7.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Baltimore city: its share of workers rose from 2.6% in 2009 to 17.8% in 2024, up 15.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 13.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 18.6% to 10.3% of workers (down 8.3 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2022 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Baltimore city
😴Sleeping InThe highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Maryland's 24 counties: 30.3% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
🦉Night OwlThe 2nd-latest start among Maryland's 24 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 7:59 AM.
🛌Hitting SnoozeThe 2nd-biggest shift to later mornings among Maryland's 24 counties: the typical start is 9 minutes later than in 2009.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Baltimore city?
The bars show when commuters in Baltimore city 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 Maryland for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMBaltimore city4.7%Maryland5.5%
4.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMBaltimore city2.9%Maryland4.5%
2.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMBaltimore city3.8%Maryland4.8%
3.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMBaltimore city8.3%Maryland9.2%
8.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMBaltimore city7.1%Maryland8.6%
7.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMBaltimore city12.9%Maryland14.0%
12.9%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMBaltimore city10.7%Maryland10.8%
10.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMBaltimore city12.6%Maryland11.9%
12.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMBaltimore city6.6%Maryland6.2%
6.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMBaltimore city11.1%Maryland7.9%
11.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMBaltimore city3.5%Maryland3.3%
3.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMBaltimore city1.3%Maryland1.5%
1.3%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMBaltimore city7.7%Maryland6.3%
7.7%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMBaltimore city6.7%Maryland5.5%
6.7%
Baltimore cityMarylandSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Baltimore city is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 12.9% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.0% across Maryland. Early starts are less common than in Maryland: 11.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Maryland: 43.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.3% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (30.3%) 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 Baltimore city, 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 Baltimore city 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 Baltimore city next to Maryland 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
Baltimore city
Maryland
United States
2009
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:48 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:48 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:50 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:50 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:48 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:50 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:51 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:53 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:53 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:59 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Baltimore city were on the road by 7:59 AM, 9 minutes later than in 2009 (7:49 AM). The shift is sharper than across Maryland, where the typical start moved 4 minutes later. Commuters in Baltimore city now leave 21 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 Baltimore city has moved 10 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Baltimore city in the whole series.
How does Baltimore city's commute time compare?
Metric
Baltimore city
Maryland
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
23.9 min
28.3 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
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
17.8%
19.3%
15.0%
Walked
5.6%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
10.3%
4.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Baltimore city is 23.9 minutes, shorter than the 28.3 minutes in Maryland.
10.3% commute by public transit, higher than the 4.2% in Maryland. 5.6% commute by walking, higher than the 2.0% in Maryland.
Baltimore city, MD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Baltimore city, MD is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 573,152 residents against a local median of 336,328. Baltimore city, MD sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 8% below the local median at 23.9 min against 25.9 min. Baltimore city, MD has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Baltimore city, Maryland.
Is living in Baltimore city, Maryland good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 199 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,163 at a typical national wage. That's 16% less than the typical Maryland commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Baltimore city, Maryland?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Baltimore city, Maryland. 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.
Which counties in Maryland have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Maryland, the shortest average commutes are in Talbot County (17.8 min), Allegany County (17.8 min), Wicomico County (18.1 min). The longest are in Charles County (40.0 min), Calvert County (33.6 min), Prince George's County (32.5 min).