Commuting in Caroline County, Maryland: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 4:52 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Caroline County?
Map AI9/24/26, 4:52 PM
Commute Time Burden in Caroline County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Caroline County spend about 63 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 263 hours, about 11.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 12% more time on the road than the Maryland average of 28.3 minutes each way, a difference of 3.3 minutes.
Caroline County holds about 0.5% of Maryland's population but accounts for roughly 0.6% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Caroline County would save about 105 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,263 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)
Caroline County
31.6 min
63.2 min
263 hrs/yr
$8,158
821
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
31.6
minutes to get to work in
Caroline County.
That's 41% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 5 slowest counties in Maryland
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 6.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Caroline County
Car:
89.2%unusually high
Worked at Home:
6.9%
Other:
2.4%
Walked:
1.1%
Public Transportation:
0.3%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Driving is 23% more common in Caroline County than the Maryland average (89.2% vs 72.4%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Caroline County: 15.7 times less than the Maryland average (0.3% vs 4.2%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Caroline County: 6.3 times less than the Maryland average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
Biking is essentially absent in Caroline County, versus 0.3% in Maryland.
Commute Mode Trends in Caroline County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Caroline 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
Other
Walked
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
2009
91.0%
2.8%
2.7%
2.4%
1.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2010
90.3%
3.2%
3.7%
2.1%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2011
88.3%
4.4%
4.4%
2.0%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2012
87.9%
5.1%
3.9%
1.9%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2013
87.0%
5.3%
3.8%
2.5%
1.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2014
88.2%
5.1%
3.0%
2.3%
1.1%
0.0%
0.1%
0.3%
2015
89.8%
4.1%
1.6%
2.6%
1.3%
0.0%
0.2%
0.4%
2016
91.0%
3.1%
1.3%
2.9%
1.1%
0.0%
0.3%
0.3%
2017
92.3%
2.6%
1.1%
2.4%
0.9%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
2018
93.7%
2.2%
0.8%
2.2%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2019
92.2%
2.3%
1.3%
3.1%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
91.0%
3.8%
1.3%
2.7%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2021
90.2%
4.5%
2.0%
2.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
88.6%
5.4%
2.8%
2.7%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
88.1%
6.0%
2.7%
2.6%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
89.2%
6.9%
2.4%
1.1%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2018 at 93.7% and lowest in 2013 at 87.0%. Overall it fell from 91.0% in 2009 to 89.2% in 2024, down 1.8 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Caroline County: its share of workers rose from 2.8% in 2009 to 6.9% in 2024, up 4.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 4.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.4% to 1.1% of workers (down 1.3 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Caroline County
🐦Early BirdThe earliest start among Maryland's 24 counties: half of commuters are on the road by 7:06 AM.
⏰Earlier AlarmsThe biggest shift to earlier mornings among Maryland's 24 counties: the typical start is 16 minutes earlier than in 2009.
🌅Dawn PatrolThe 3rd-highest share of pre-6 AM departures among Maryland's 24 counties: 21.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Caroline County?
The bars show when commuters in Caroline 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 Maryland for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMCaroline County8.0%Maryland5.5%
8.0%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMCaroline County5.1%Maryland4.5%
5.1%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMCaroline County8.1%Maryland4.8%
8.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMCaroline County11.3%Maryland9.2%
11.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMCaroline County14.3%Maryland8.6%
14.3%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMCaroline County14.9%Maryland14.0%
14.9%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMCaroline County8.7%Maryland10.8%
8.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMCaroline County8.5%Maryland11.9%
8.5%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMCaroline County5.0%Maryland6.2%
5.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMCaroline County2.9%Maryland7.9%
2.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMCaroline County1.6%Maryland3.3%
1.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMCaroline County1.0%Maryland1.5%
1.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMCaroline County5.1%Maryland6.3%
5.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMCaroline County5.4%Maryland5.5%
5.4%
Caroline CountyMarylandSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Caroline County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.9% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.0% across Maryland. Early starts are more common than in Maryland: 21.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush looks much like Maryland's: 46.4% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.3% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.0%) 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 Caroline 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County 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
Caroline County
Maryland
United States
2009
7:22 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:20 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:16 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:16 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:13 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:12 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:14 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:19 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:20 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:22 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:22 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:20 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:14 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:11 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:10 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:06 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Caroline County were on the road by 7:06 AM, 16 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:22 AM). That goes against the trend across Maryland, where the typical commuter now leaves 4 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Caroline County now leave 32 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 Caroline County has moved 16 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Caroline County in the whole series.
How does Caroline County's commute time compare?
Metric
Caroline County
Maryland
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
31.6 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
06:30 AM – 06:59 AM
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
6.9%
19.3%
15.0%
Walked
1.1%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.3%
4.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Caroline County is 31.6 minutes, longer than the 28.3 minutes in Maryland.
0.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 4.2% in Maryland. 1.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Maryland.
Caroline County, MD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Caroline County, MD is typical in size for this group, 33,666 residents against a local median of 37,917, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Caroline County, MD apart most is one-way commute: 31.6 min, 46% above the local median of 21.6 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 6.9% against a local median of 11.8%, 41% below it. The counties themselves spread 12.3 min on one-way commute, so Caroline County, MD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Caroline County, MD has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Caroline County, Maryland.
Is commuting expensive in Caroline County, Maryland?
Commuters here spend an estimated 263 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $8,158 at a typical national wage. That's 12% more than the typical Maryland commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Caroline County, Maryland?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Caroline County, Maryland. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Caroline County, Maryland?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.3% of commuters use it versus 4.2% in Maryland, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Maryland?
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).