Commuting in Onslow County, North Carolina: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:24 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Onslow County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:24 PM
Commute Time Burden in Onslow County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Onslow County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 8% less time on the road than the North Carolina average of 21.9 minutes each way, a difference of 1.8 minutes.
Onslow County holds about 1.9% of North Carolina's population but accounts for roughly 1.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Onslow County would save about 67 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,076 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)
Onslow County
20.1 min
40.2 min
167 hrs/yr
$5,190
1,927
North Carolina
21.9 min
43.7 min
182 hrs/yr
$5,645
1,609
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
20.1
minutes to get to work in
Onslow County.
That's 10% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 73% of counties in North Carolina
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 12.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Onslow County
Car:
77.8%
Worked at Home:
12.8%
Walked:
6.9%unusually high
Other:
1.8%
Motorcycle:
0.3%unusually high
Public Transportation:
0.2%unusually low
Bicycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
0.1%
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Onslow County: 3.7 times more than the North Carolina average (0.3% vs 0.1%).
Walking is unusually common in Onslow County: 4.4 times more than the North Carolina average (6.9% vs 1.6%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Onslow County: 4.2 times less than the North Carolina average (0.2% vs 0.7%).
Onslow County stands out for active commuting: 7.1% of workers walk or bike to work, 4.0 times the North Carolina average of 1.8%.
Commute Mode Trends in Onslow County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Onslow 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
Walked
Other
Motorcycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
Bicycle
2009
78.7%
11.0%
7.7%
1.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.4%
0.5%
2010
83.8%
7.6%
6.1%
0.8%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.6%
2011
83.7%
8.6%
5.4%
0.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.2%
0.6%
2012
84.6%
7.8%
5.5%
0.8%
0.4%
0.2%
0.2%
0.4%
2013
85.9%
6.9%
5.4%
0.8%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2014
86.9%
6.1%
5.2%
0.6%
0.4%
0.4%
0.2%
0.3%
2015
86.5%
6.1%
5.6%
0.8%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
0.4%
2016
86.9%
5.1%
6.0%
0.9%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
0.5%
2017
84.3%
5.5%
8.0%
1.0%
0.4%
0.3%
0.2%
0.4%
2018
85.3%
4.6%
8.2%
0.8%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
0.4%
2019
85.2%
4.5%
8.2%
1.2%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
0.2%
2020
85.0%
4.6%
7.9%
1.4%
0.3%
0.5%
0.1%
0.2%
2021
83.3%
6.6%
7.8%
1.5%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
0.2%
2022
82.3%
8.3%
7.1%
1.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
2023
79.1%
10.9%
7.5%
1.9%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2024
77.8%
12.8%
6.9%
1.8%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2014 at 86.9%. Overall it fell from 78.7% in 2009 to 77.8% in 2024, down 0.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Onslow County: its share of workers rose from 11.0% in 2009 to 12.8% in 2024, up 1.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 7.7% to 6.9% of workers (down 0.8 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Onslow County
🛌Hitting SnoozeThe 2nd-biggest shift to later mornings among North Carolina's 100 counties: the typical start is 20 minutes later than in 2009.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Onslow County?
The bars show when commuters in Onslow 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 North Carolina for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMOnslow County4.4%North Carolina4.4%
4.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMOnslow County4.0%North Carolina3.5%
4.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMOnslow County6.7%North Carolina4.6%
6.7%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMOnslow County11.7%North Carolina9.0%
11.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMOnslow County14.0%North Carolina10.2%
14.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMOnslow County18.8%North Carolina15.3%
18.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMOnslow County13.8%North Carolina12.8%
13.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMOnslow County7.7%North Carolina11.7%
7.7%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMOnslow County3.8%North Carolina5.4%
3.8%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMOnslow County4.2%North Carolina6.4%
4.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMOnslow County1.6%North Carolina2.8%
1.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMOnslow County0.9%North Carolina1.4%
0.9%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMOnslow County4.2%North Carolina6.3%
4.2%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMOnslow County4.1%North Carolina6.4%
4.1%
Onslow CountyNorth CarolinaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Onslow County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 18.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.3% across North Carolina. Early starts are more common than in North Carolina: 15.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 12.5% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in North Carolina: 54.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 50.0% there. About 1 in 7 commuters (15.0%) 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 Onslow 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 Onslow 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 Onslow County next to North Carolina 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
Onslow County
North Carolina
United States
2009
6:55 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2010
6:56 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2011
6:58 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2012
6:57 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2013
6:55 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2014
6:56 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:01 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:03 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:03 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:01 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:04 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:06 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:05 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:10 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:12 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:15 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Onslow County were on the road by 7:15 AM, 20 minutes later than in 2009 (6:55 AM). The shift is sharper than across North Carolina, where the typical start moved 1 minute later. Commuters in Onslow County now leave 23 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 Onslow County has moved 11 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Onslow County in the whole series.
How does Onslow County's commute time compare?
Metric
Onslow County
North Carolina
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
20.1 min
21.9 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
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
12.8%
16.3%
15.0%
Walked
6.9%
1.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
0.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Onslow County is 20.1 minutes, shorter than the 21.9 minutes in North Carolina.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in North Carolina. 6.9% commute by walking, higher than the 1.6% in North Carolina.
Onslow County, NC Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Onslow County, NC is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 207,702 residents against a local median of 54,882. Where Onslow County, NC breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 92% above the local median of 6.7% at 12.8%.
The counties themselves spread 9.8% on work from home, so Onslow County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Onslow County, NC has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Onslow County, North Carolina.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Onslow County, North Carolina?
Commuters here spend an estimated 167 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,190 at a typical national wage. That's 8% less than the typical North Carolina commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Onslow County, North Carolina?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Onslow County, North Carolina. 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 Onslow County, North Carolina?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% of commuters use it versus 0.7% in North Carolina, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in North Carolina?
Among counties in North Carolina, the shortest average commutes are in Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min). The longest are in Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).