Commuting in Maryland: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 11:43 AM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Maryland?
Map AI9/24/26, 11:43 AM
Commute Time Burden in Maryland: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Maryland spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 236 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 26% more time on the road than the US average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 5.8 minutes.
Maryland holds about 1.8% of US's population but accounts for roughly 2.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Maryland would save about 94 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,920 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)
Maryland
28.3 min
56.5 min
236 hrs/yr
$7,301
2,353
US
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
28.3
minutes to get to work in
Maryland.
That's 26% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 3 slowest states in US
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 19.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Maryland
Car:
72.4%
Worked at Home:
19.3%
Public Transportation:
4.2%
Walked:
2.0%
Other:
1.2%
Taxi:
0.5%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Maryland, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Maryland 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
83.8%
3.8%
8.7%
2.5%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2010
83.8%
3.9%
8.7%
2.5%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2011
83.8%
4.0%
8.8%
2.4%
0.6%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
2012
83.6%
4.1%
8.8%
2.4%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2013
83.5%
4.2%
8.9%
2.4%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2014
83.4%
4.2%
8.9%
2.3%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2015
83.1%
4.2%
9.0%
2.4%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2016
83.0%
4.4%
8.9%
2.4%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2017
82.9%
4.5%
8.8%
2.4%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2018
82.9%
4.7%
8.6%
2.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2019
82.8%
5.0%
8.4%
2.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2020
80.7%
8.1%
7.4%
2.1%
0.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2021
78.0%
11.9%
6.4%
2.0%
1.0%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
2022
76.0%
14.7%
5.5%
1.9%
1.1%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
2023
74.1%
17.2%
4.9%
2.0%
1.2%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
2024
72.4%
19.3%
4.2%
2.0%
1.2%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 83.8% in 2009 to 72.4% in 2024, down 11.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Maryland: its share of workers rose from 3.8% in 2009 to 19.3% in 2024, up 15.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 14.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 8.7% to 4.2% of workers (down 4.5 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 Maryland
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Maryland?
The bars show when commuters in Maryland 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 the U.S. for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMMaryland5.5%The U.S.5.5%
5.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMMaryland4.5%The U.S.4.0%
4.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMMaryland4.8%The U.S.4.9%
4.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMMaryland9.2%The U.S.8.7%
9.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMMaryland8.6%The U.S.9.4%
8.6%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMMaryland14.0%The U.S.14.4%
14.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMMaryland10.8%The U.S.11.9%
10.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMMaryland11.9%The U.S.11.5%
11.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMMaryland6.2%The U.S.5.5%
6.2%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMMaryland7.9%The U.S.6.8%
7.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMMaryland3.3%The U.S.3.1%
3.3%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMMaryland1.5%The U.S.1.5%
1.5%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMMaryland6.3%The U.S.6.8%
6.3%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMMaryland5.5%The U.S.6.1%
5.5%
MarylandThe U.S.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Maryland is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.0% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.4% across the U.S.. Early starts are about as common as in the U.S.: 14.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush looks much like the U.S.'s: 45.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.5%) 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 Maryland, 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 Maryland 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 Maryland next to 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
Maryland
United States
2009
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Maryland were on the road by 7:39 AM, 4 minutes later than in 2009 (7:35 AM). Commuters in Maryland now leave 1 minute 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 Maryland has moved 4 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Maryland in the whole series.
How does Maryland's commute time compare?
Metric
Maryland
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
28.3 min
22.4 min
Work From Home
19.3%
15.0%
Walked
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
4.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Maryland is 28.3 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in US.
4.2% commute by public transit, higher than the 3.2% in US. 2.0% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in US.
Maryland is the 4th largest of the 6 states compared here, 6,204,886 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. The measure that sets Maryland apart most is one-way commute: 28.3 min, 22% above the local median of 23.2 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread 8.2 min on one-way commute, so Maryland sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Maryland has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Is living in Maryland good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 236 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,301 at a typical national wage. That's 26% more than the typical US commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Maryland?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in 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.
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).