Wake Forest Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Wake Forest, North Carolina: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Wake Forest: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Wake Forest 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 41% more time on the road than the North Carolina average of 21.9 minutes each way, a difference of 9.0 minutes.
Wake Forest holds about 0.4% of North Carolina's population but accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Wake Forest would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,186 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 30.8 min | 61.7 min | 257 hrs/yr | $7,964 | 2,589 |
| 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.
Wake Forest Commute Map
On average, it takes 30.8 minutes to get to work in Wake Forest. That's 38% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 26.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Wake Forest
- Car: 71.1%
- Worked at Home: 26.9%
- Walked: 1.0%
- Other: 0.8%
- Taxi: < 0.1%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Wake Forest: 3.2 times less than the North Carolina average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Wake Forest: 26.0 times less than the North Carolina average (0.0% vs 0.7%).
Biking is essentially absent in Wake Forest, versus 0.2% in North Carolina.
Commute Mode Trends in Wake Forest, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Wake Forest 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 | Other | Taxi | Public Transportation | Motorcycle | Bicycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 89.7% | 7.4% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 92.3% | 5.8% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 91.0% | 7.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 90.5% | 7.5% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 90.4% | 7.7% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 90.7% | 7.6% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 88.6% | 8.9% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 88.8% | 8.7% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 89.1% | 9.0% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 87.4% | 10.7% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 86.5% | 11.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 85.6% | 13.2% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 79.6% | 19.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 76.5% | 22.1% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 73.7% | 24.4% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 71.1% | 26.9% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2010 at 92.3%. Overall it fell from 89.7% in 2009 to 71.1% in 2024, down 18.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Wake Forest: its share of workers rose from 7.4% in 2009 to 26.9% in 2024, up 19.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 15.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.3% to 1.0% of workers (down 1.3 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Wake Forest
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Wake Forest?
The bars show when commuters in Wake Forest 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 AM
Wake Forest2.9%
North Carolina4.4%
|
2.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Wake Forest1.7%
North Carolina3.5%
|
1.7% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Wake Forest3.6%
North Carolina4.6%
|
3.6% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Wake Forest7.7%
North Carolina9.0%
|
7.7% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Wake Forest9.7%
North Carolina10.2%
|
9.7% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Wake Forest17.4%
North Carolina15.3%
|
17.4% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Wake Forest10.8%
North Carolina12.8%
|
10.8% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Wake Forest15.4%
North Carolina11.7%
|
15.4% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Wake Forest6.8%
North Carolina5.4%
|
6.8% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Wake Forest8.7%
North Carolina6.4%
|
8.7% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Wake Forest1.9%
North Carolina2.8%
|
1.9% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Wake Forest1.9%
North Carolina1.4%
|
1.9% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Wake Forest4.6%
North Carolina6.3%
|
4.6% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Wake Forest7.0%
North Carolina6.4%
|
7.0% |
Wake Forest North Carolina Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Wake Forest is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 17.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.3% across North Carolina. Early starts are less common than in North Carolina: 8.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 12.5% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in North Carolina: 53.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 50.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.0%) 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 Wake Forest, 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 Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Wake Forest | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:38 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:37 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:41 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:43 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:32 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:44 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:41 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:44 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:49 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Wake Forest were on the road by 7:49 AM, 11 minutes later than in 2009 (7:38 AM). The shift is sharper than across North Carolina, where the typical start moved 1 minute later. Commuters in Wake Forest now leave 12 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 Wake Forest has moved 18 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Wake Forest in the whole series.
How does Wake Forest's commute time compare?
| Metric | Wake Forest | North Carolina | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 30.8 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 26.9% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | < 0.1% | 0.7% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Wake Forest is 30.8 minutes, longer than the 21.9 minutes in North Carolina.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in North Carolina. 1.0% commute by walking, lower than the 1.6% in North Carolina.
Wake Forest, NC Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
How Wake Forest, NC compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest, NC | 39,088 | 30.8 min #2/2 | 26.9% #1/2 | 7:49 AM #1/2 |
| Raleigh, NC | 423,734 | 21.0 min | 26.2% | 8:03 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Wake Forest, North Carolina?
Commuters here spend an estimated 257 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,964 at a typical national wage. That's 41% more than the typical North Carolina commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Wake Forest, North Carolina?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Wake Forest, North Carolina. 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.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Wake Forest, North Carolina?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.7% in North Carolina, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How much time do residents in Wake Forest, North Carolina save by working from home?
About 26.9% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Wake Forest would save about 103 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,186 at the same national wage assumption used above.