Pricing
Map Drive-Time Zone10-min drive time • PDF report

Ocean County Commute Time Map & Patterns

Help

Commuting in Ocean County, New Jersey: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 8:19 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Ocean County?
Map AI 9/24/26, 8:19 PM

Commute Time Burden in Ocean County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Ocean County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 195 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting. That is 11% less time on the road than the New Jersey average of 26.2 minutes each way, a difference of 2.8 minutes.

Ocean County holds about 7.0% of New Jersey's population but accounts for roughly 6.3% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Ocean County would save about 78 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,421 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)
Ocean County 23.4 min 46.9 min 195 hrs/yr $6,053 1,639
New Jersey 26.2 min 52.4 min 218 hrs/yr $6,764 2,109
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: New Jersey Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in New Jersey
  1. Cape May County (18.1 min)
  2. Cumberland County (21.2 min)
  3. Atlantic County (21.6 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in New Jersey
  1. Hudson County (32.7 min)
  2. Sussex County (32.6 min)
  3. Hunterdon County (31.0 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Ocean County
Click a county to open it Explore the map →
Average commute time

On average, it takes 23.4 minutes to get to work in Ocean County. That's 5% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Faster than 70% of counties in New Jersey

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 12.5% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Ocean County

  • Car: 83.7%
  • Worked at Home: 12.5%
  • Walked: 1.4%
  • Other: 1.0%
  • Public Transportation: 0.9% unusually low
  • Bicycle: 0.3%
  • Taxi: 0.2% unusually low
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1%

Public transit is unusually rare in Ocean County: 8.9 times less than the New Jersey average (0.9% vs 8.1%).

Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Ocean County: 3.5 times less than the New Jersey average (0.2% vs 0.6%).

Commute Mode Trends in Ocean County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Ocean 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 Public Transportation Bicycle Taxi Motorcycle
2009 91.3% 3.5% 1.8% 0.6% 2.0% 0.4% 0.2% 0.1%
2010 90.9% 3.8% 1.8% 0.5% 2.2% 0.5% 0.2% 0.1%
2011 91.1% 3.9% 1.5% 0.4% 2.3% 0.4% 0.2% 0.1%
2012 90.3% 4.3% 1.6% 0.4% 2.4% 0.5% 0.3% 0.1%
2013 90.4% 4.5% 1.5% 0.6% 2.1% 0.5% 0.4% 0.1%
2014 90.2% 4.7% 1.5% 0.7% 2.1% 0.4% 0.4% 0.1%
2015 90.0% 4.7% 1.6% 0.7% 2.1% 0.4% 0.4% 0.1%
2016 89.8% 4.8% 1.7% 0.8% 2.0% 0.4% 0.4% 0.1%
2017 90.1% 4.8% 1.6% 0.9% 1.9% 0.3% 0.4% 0.0%
2018 89.9% 5.1% 1.5% 0.8% 1.8% 0.4% 0.5% 0.0%
2019 90.0% 5.1% 1.5% 0.8% 1.7% 0.5% 0.4% 0.0%
2020 88.8% 6.4% 1.3% 1.1% 1.5% 0.5% 0.3% 0.0%
2021 87.3% 8.4% 1.2% 1.0% 1.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0%
2022 85.7% 9.9% 1.3% 1.0% 1.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0%
2023 84.4% 11.6% 1.3% 1.0% 1.2% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0%
2024 83.7% 12.5% 1.4% 1.0% 0.9% 0.3% 0.2% 0.0%

Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 91.3% in 2009 to 83.7% in 2024, down 7.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Ocean County: its share of workers rose from 3.5% in 2009 to 12.5% in 2024, up 9.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 7.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.0% to 0.9% of workers (down 1.1 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Ocean County

  • Hitting SnoozeThe biggest shift to later mornings among New Jersey's 21 counties: the typical start is 12 minutes later than in 2009.
  • Sleeping InThe 2nd-highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among New Jersey's 21 counties: 27.1% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
  • Rush-Hour DodgersThe 3rd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among New Jersey's 21 counties: only 45.1% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Ocean County?

The bars show when commuters in Ocean 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 New Jersey for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.

12:00-4:59 AM
3.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
3.3%
5:30-5:59 AM
4.4%
6:00-6:29 AM
8.1%
6:30-6:59 AM
9.8%
7:00-7:29 AM
12.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
10.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
12.7%
8:30-8:59 AM
8.4%
9:00-9:59 AM
10.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
3.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
6.3%
4:00-11:59 PM
5.3%

Ocean County New Jersey Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Ocean County is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 12.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.0% across New Jersey. Early starts are about as common as in New Jersey: 11.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.9% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in New Jersey: 45.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (27.1%) 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean County next to New Jersey 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 Ocean County New Jersey United States
2009 7:43 AM 7:48 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:44 AM 7:49 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:44 AM 7:49 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:46 AM 7:50 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:47 AM 7:51 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:47 AM 7:51 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:47 AM 7:51 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:48 AM 7:51 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:48 AM 7:50 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:48 AM 7:50 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:48 AM 7:49 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:49 AM 7:49 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:52 AM 7:49 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:53 AM 7:50 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:53 AM 7:50 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:55 AM 7:50 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Ocean County were on the road by 7:55 AM, 12 minutes later than in 2009 (7:43 AM). The shift is sharper than across New Jersey, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in Ocean County now leave 17 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 Ocean County has moved 7 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Ocean County in the whole series.

How does Ocean County's commute time compare?

Metric Ocean County New Jersey US Average
Avg. Commute Time 23.4 min 26.2 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 12.5% 16.8% 15.0%
Walked 1.4% 2.6% 2.4%
Public Transit 0.9% 8.1% 3.2%

The average commute time in Ocean County is 23.4 minutes, shorter than the 26.2 minutes in New Jersey.

0.9% commute by public transit, lower than the 8.1% in New Jersey. 1.4% commute by walking, lower than the 2.6% in New Jersey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Ocean County, NJ Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Ocean County, NJ is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 654,303 residents against a local median of 467,571. Where Ocean County, NJ breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 31% below the local median of 18.1% at 12.5%.

The counties themselves spread 10.4% on work from home, so Ocean County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ocean County, NJ has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Ocean County, NJ 654,303 23.4 min #3/6 12.5% #5/6 7:55 AM #4/6
Burlington County, NJ 467,571 26.0 min 16.7% 7:44 AM
Monmouth County, NJ 645,196 25.7 min 18.9% 7:51 AM
Atlantic County, NJ 276,076 21.6 min 9.1% 8:03 AM
Middlesex County, NJ 870,701 26.6 min 18.1% 7:54 AM
Mercer County, NJ 385,681 21.7 min 19.5% 7:58 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Ocean County, New Jersey.

What is the financial impact of commuting in Ocean County, New Jersey?

Commuters here spend an estimated 195 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,053 at a typical national wage. That's 11% less than the typical New Jersey commuter spends.

What are the busiest morning travel hours in Ocean County, New Jersey?

Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Ocean County, New Jersey. 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.

Do people use public transit in Ocean County, New Jersey?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.9% of commuters use it versus 8.1% in New Jersey, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

Which counties in New Jersey have the fastest and slowest commutes?

Among counties in New Jersey, the shortest average commutes are in Cape May County (18.1 min), Cumberland County (21.2 min), Atlantic County (21.6 min). The longest are in Hudson County (32.7 min), Sussex County (32.6 min), Hunterdon County (31.0 min).