Montgomery County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Montgomery County, Maryland: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Montgomery County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Montgomery County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 257 hours, about 10.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 9% more time on the road than the Maryland average of 28.3 minutes each way, a difference of 2.6 minutes.
Montgomery County holds about 17.2% of Maryland's population but accounts for roughly 18.7% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Montgomery County would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,189 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 30.9 min | 61.7 min | 257 hrs/yr | $7,971 | 3,443 |
| 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.
Commute Time Map: Maryland Counties
- Talbot County (17.8 min)
- Allegany County (17.8 min)
- Wicomico County (18.1 min)
- Charles County (40.0 min)
- Calvert County (33.6 min)
- Prince George's County (32.5 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 30.9 minutes to get to work in Montgomery County. That's 38% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 78% of counties in Maryland
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 28.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Montgomery County
- Car: 60.4%
- Worked at Home: 28.3%
- Public Transportation: 7.5%
- Walked: 1.7%
- Other: 1.3%
- Bicycle: 0.4%
- Taxi: 0.3%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Montgomery County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Montgomery 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 76.4% | 5.2% | 15.1% | 2.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 76.4% | 5.3% | 15.0% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 76.2% | 5.4% | 15.2% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 75.8% | 5.5% | 15.4% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 75.7% | 5.6% | 15.4% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 75.6% | 5.7% | 15.5% | 2.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 75.2% | 5.6% | 15.8% | 2.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 75.0% | 5.7% | 15.8% | 2.2% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 75.1% | 5.9% | 15.5% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 75.1% | 6.1% | 15.1% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 74.9% | 6.4% | 14.8% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 71.7% | 11.4% | 13.0% | 2.1% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 67.6% | 17.6% | 11.0% | 1.8% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 64.8% | 21.9% | 9.4% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 62.0% | 25.5% | 8.5% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 60.4% | 28.3% | 7.5% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 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 76.4% in 2009 to 60.4% in 2024, down 16.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Montgomery County: its share of workers rose from 5.2% in 2009 to 28.3% in 2024, up 23.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 21.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 15.1% to 7.5% of workers (down 7.6 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 Montgomery County
- 🦉 Night OwlThe latest start among Maryland's 24 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:02 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Montgomery County?
The bars show when commuters in Montgomery 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 AM
Montgomery County3.5%
Maryland5.5%
|
3.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Montgomery County3.3%
Maryland4.5%
|
3.3% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Montgomery County2.9%
Maryland4.8%
|
2.9% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Montgomery County7.5%
Maryland9.2%
|
7.5% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Montgomery County7.1%
Maryland8.6%
|
7.1% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Montgomery County14.0%
Maryland14.0%
|
14.0% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Montgomery County10.8%
Maryland10.8%
|
10.8% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Montgomery County14.6%
Maryland11.9%
|
14.6% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Montgomery County8.4%
Maryland6.2%
|
8.4% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Montgomery County11.4%
Maryland7.9%
|
11.4% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Montgomery County4.8%
Maryland3.3%
|
4.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Montgomery County1.8%
Maryland1.5%
|
1.8% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Montgomery County6.0%
Maryland6.3%
|
6.0% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Montgomery County4.0%
Maryland5.5%
|
4.0% |
Montgomery County Maryland Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Montgomery County is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 14.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.9% across Maryland. Early starts are less common than in Maryland: 9.6% 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 4 commuters (28.0%) 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Montgomery County | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Montgomery County were on the road by 8:02 AM, 9 minutes later than in 2009 (7:54 AM). The shift is sharper than across Maryland, where the typical start moved 4 minutes later. Commuters in Montgomery County now leave 24 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 Montgomery County has moved 5 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Montgomery County in the whole series.
How does Montgomery County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Montgomery County | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 30.9 min | 28.3 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 28.3% | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.7% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 7.5% | 4.2% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Montgomery County is 30.9 minutes, longer than the 28.3 minutes in Maryland.
7.5% commute by public transit, higher than the 4.2% in Maryland. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Maryland.
Montgomery County, MD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Montgomery County, MD is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 1,065,586 residents against a local median of 336,328. The measure that sets Montgomery County, MD apart most is one-way commute: 30.9 min, 19% above the local median of 25.8 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.9 min on one-way commute, so Montgomery County, MD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Montgomery County, MD has the 4th lowest one-way commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MD | 1,065,586 | 30.9 min #4/4 | 28.3% #3/4 | 8:02 AM #2/4 |
| Arlington County, VA | 236,150 | 25.4 min | 35.3% | 8:11 AM |
| Howard County, MD | 336,328 | 25.8 min | 26.0% | 7:55 AM |
| District of Columbia, DC | 678,314 | 30.3 min | 32.9% | 8:18 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Is commuting expensive in Montgomery County, Maryland?
Commuters here spend an estimated 257 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,971 at a typical national wage. That's 9% more than the typical Maryland commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Montgomery County, Maryland?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Montgomery County, Maryland. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Is Montgomery County, Maryland a good location for remote and hybrid workers?
About 28.3% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Montgomery County would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,189 at the same national wage assumption used above.
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).