Bangor Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Bangor, Maine: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Bangor: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Bangor spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 108 hours, about 4.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 38% less time on the road than the Maine average of 20.8 minutes each way, a difference of 7.8 minutes.
Bangor holds about 2.3% of Maine's population but accounts for roughly 1.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Bangor would save about 43 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,339 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | 13.0 min | 25.9 min | 108 hrs/yr | $3,348 | 1,958 |
| Maine | 20.8 min | 41.6 min | 173 hrs/yr | $5,372 | 1,015 |
| 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.
Bangor Commute Map
On average, it takes 13.0 minutes to get to work in Bangor. That's 42% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 10.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Bangor
- Car: 78.7%
- Worked at Home: 10.1%
- Walked: 6.6%
- Public Transportation: 1.6% unusually high
- Bicycle: 1.4% unusually high
- Other: 1.3%
- Taxi: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Bangor, versus 0.1% in Maine.
Public transit is unusually common in Bangor: 3.4 times more than the Maine average (1.6% vs 0.5%).
Biking is unusually common in Bangor: 4.6 times more than the Maine average (1.4% vs 0.3%).
Commute Mode Trends in Bangor, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Bangor 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 | Walked | Public Transportation | Bicycle | Other | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 85.0% | 3.8% | 6.4% | 2.5% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 86.2% | 3.6% | 6.6% | 2.1% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 86.4% | 4.1% | 6.5% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 85.5% | 4.5% | 5.9% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 2.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 88.4% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 87.1% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 86.6% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 1.7% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.4% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2017 | 87.5% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 86.1% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 1.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 85.4% | 4.8% | 6.2% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 83.5% | 6.9% | 6.1% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.2% | 9.0% | 6.5% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 80.3% | 9.5% | 5.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| 2023 | 79.5% | 10.3% | 5.9% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 78.7% | 10.1% | 6.6% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2013 at 88.4%. Overall it fell from 85.0% in 2009 to 78.7% in 2024, down 6.3 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Bangor: its share of workers rose from 3.8% in 2009 to 10.1% in 2024, up 6.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.5% to 1.6% of workers (down 0.9 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Bangor
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Bangor?
The bars show when commuters in Bangor 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 Maine for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Bangor6.3%
Maine6.3%
|
6.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Bangor2.2%
Maine4.1%
|
2.2% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Bangor1.1%
Maine5.7%
|
1.1% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Bangor8.7%
Maine9.3%
|
8.7% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Bangor9.6%
Maine11.4%
|
9.6% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Bangor14.2%
Maine15.8%
|
14.2% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Bangor14.3%
Maine12.8%
|
14.3% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Bangor9.5%
Maine9.9%
|
9.5% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Bangor7.8%
Maine4.7%
|
7.8% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Bangor6.7%
Maine5.3%
|
6.7% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Bangor2.6%
Maine2.4%
|
2.6% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Bangor1.5%
Maine1.4%
|
1.5% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Bangor8.3%
Maine6.3%
|
8.3% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Bangor7.2%
Maine4.6%
|
7.2% |
Bangor Maine Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Bangor is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.8% across Maine. Early starts are less common than in Maine: 9.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 16.0% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Maine: 47.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.9% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.3%) 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 Bangor, 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 Bangor 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 Bangor next to Maine 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 | Bangor | Maine | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:46 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Bangor were on the road by 7:47 AM, 7 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:54 AM). The shift is sharper than across Maine, where the typical start moved 1 minute earlier. Commuters in Bangor now leave 9 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Bangor's commute time compare?
| Metric | Bangor | Maine | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 13.0 min | 20.8 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 10.1% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 6.6% | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.6% | 0.5% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Bangor is 13.0 minutes, shorter than the 20.8 minutes in Maine.
1.6% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.5% in Maine. 6.6% commute by walking, higher than the 3.4% in Maine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Bangor, Maine.
Is commuting expensive in Bangor, Maine?
Commuters here spend an estimated 108 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,348 at a typical national wage. That's 38% less than the typical Maine commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Bangor, Maine?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Bangor, Maine. 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.
How common is public transit use in Bangor, Maine?
Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 1.6% of commuters use it versus 0.5% in Maine, making it a realistic option for many workers.