Prince George's County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Prince George's 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 Prince George's County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Prince George's County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 271 hours, about 11.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 15% more time on the road than the Maryland average of 28.3 minutes each way, a difference of 4.2 minutes.
Prince George's County holds about 15.5% of Maryland's population but accounts for roughly 17.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Prince George's County would save about 108 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,359 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County | 32.5 min | 65.0 min | 271 hrs/yr | $8,399 | 3,844 |
| 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 32.5 minutes to get to work in Prince George's County. That's 45% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 3 slowest counties in Maryland
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 17.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Prince George's County
- Car: 69.9%
- Worked at Home: 17.9%
- Public Transportation: 7.4%
- Other: 1.8%
- Walked: 1.7%
- Taxi: 0.9%
- Bicycle: 0.3%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Prince George's County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Prince George's 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 | Other | Walked | Taxi | Bicycle | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 76.8% | 2.7% | 17.4% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 76.8% | 2.7% | 17.4% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 76.7% | 2.7% | 17.6% | 0.4% | 2.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 76.9% | 2.7% | 17.4% | 0.4% | 2.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 76.8% | 2.6% | 17.5% | 0.4% | 2.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 77.1% | 2.6% | 17.2% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 77.1% | 2.6% | 17.2% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 77.5% | 2.8% | 16.4% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 77.8% | 2.8% | 16.0% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 77.8% | 3.1% | 15.4% | 0.9% | 2.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 77.8% | 3.2% | 15.1% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 76.4% | 6.5% | 13.1% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 74.5% | 10.2% | 11.2% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 72.4% | 13.3% | 9.9% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 71.3% | 15.4% | 8.6% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | 17.9% | 7.4% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2017 at 77.8%. Overall it fell from 76.8% in 2009 to 69.9% in 2024, down 6.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Prince George's County: its share of workers rose from 2.7% in 2009 to 17.9% in 2024, up 15.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 14.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 17.4% to 7.4% of workers (down 10.0 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 Prince George's County
- 🧘 Rush-Hour DodgersThe 2nd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among Maryland's 24 counties: only 40.8% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Prince George's County?
The bars show when commuters in Prince George's 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
Prince George's County7.1%
Maryland5.5%
|
7.1% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Prince George's County6.1%
Maryland4.5%
|
6.1% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Prince George's County5.3%
Maryland4.8%
|
5.3% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Prince George's County11.1%
Maryland9.2%
|
11.1% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Prince George's County7.5%
Maryland8.6%
|
7.5% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Prince George's County13.6%
Maryland14.0%
|
13.6% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Prince George's County8.6%
Maryland10.8%
|
8.6% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Prince George's County11.0%
Maryland11.9%
|
11.0% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Prince George's County5.2%
Maryland6.2%
|
5.2% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Prince George's County7.2%
Maryland7.9%
|
7.2% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Prince George's County3.1%
Maryland3.3%
|
3.1% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Prince George's County1.4%
Maryland1.5%
|
1.4% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Prince George's County6.7%
Maryland6.3%
|
6.7% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Prince George's County6.0%
Maryland5.5%
|
6.0% |
Prince George's County Maryland Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Prince George's County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.0% across Maryland. Early starts are more common than in Maryland: 18.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Maryland: 40.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.4%) 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 Prince George's 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 Prince George's 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 Prince George's 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 | Prince George's County | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:24 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:24 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:24 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:24 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:24 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:23 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:23 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:23 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:23 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:25 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:25 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:27 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:28 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:28 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:28 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Prince George's County were on the road by 7:28 AM, 5 minutes later than in 2009 (7:24 AM). Maryland followed the same path, with the typical start moving 4 minutes later. Commuters in Prince George's County now leave 10 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 Prince George's County has moved 3 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Prince George's County in the whole series.
How does Prince George's County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Prince George's County | Maryland | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 32.5 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 | 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 17.9% | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.7% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 7.4% | 4.2% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Prince George's County is 32.5 minutes, longer than the 28.3 minutes in Maryland.
7.4% commute by public transit, higher than the 4.2% in Maryland. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Maryland.
Prince George's County, MD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Prince George's County, MD is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 959,665 residents against a local median of 597,957. Prince George's County, MD's work from home, at 17.9%, runs 46% below the 32.9% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 32.5 min against a local median of 25.7 min, 26% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 26% above the local median it puts Prince George's County, MD at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 16.8% on work from home, so Prince George's County, MD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Prince George's County, MD has the 4th highest work from home of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County, MD | 959,665 | 32.5 min #4/4 | 17.9% #4/4 | 7:28 AM #1/4 |
| District of Columbia, DC | 678,314 | 30.3 min | 32.9% | 8:18 AM |
| Arlington County, VA | 236,150 | 25.4 min | 35.3% | 8:11 AM |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 597,957 | 25.7 min | 18.5% | 7:30 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Is living in Prince George's County, Maryland good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 271 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $8,399 at a typical national wage. That's 15% more than the typical Maryland commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Prince George's County, Maryland?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Prince George's County, Maryland. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How do commute times compare across 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).