Union County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Union County, New Jersey: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Union County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Union County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 217 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the New Jersey average of 26.2 minutes each way.
Union County holds about 6.2% of New Jersey's population and accounts for roughly 6.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Union County would save about 87 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,694 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 26.1 min | 52.2 min | 217 hrs/yr | $6,736 | 3,536 |
| 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
- Cape May County (18.1 min)
- Cumberland County (21.2 min)
- Atlantic County (21.6 min)
- Hudson County (32.7 min)
- Sussex County (32.6 min)
- Hunterdon County (31.0 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 26.1 minutes to get to work in Union County. That's 16% 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 14.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Union County
- Car: 69.9%
- Worked at Home: 14.3%
- Public Transportation: 9.1%
- Other: 3.2%
- Walked: 2.4%
- Taxi: 0.9%
- Bicycle: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Union County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Union 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 | 78.1% | 2.8% | 9.9% | 5.4% | 3.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 77.1% | 2.8% | 9.9% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 76.6% | 2.9% | 10.1% | 6.4% | 3.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 76.9% | 3.1% | 9.9% | 6.1% | 3.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 77.3% | 3.3% | 10.1% | 5.5% | 3.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 77.5% | 3.4% | 10.1% | 5.2% | 3.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 76.8% | 3.7% | 10.5% | 5.2% | 3.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 76.5% | 3.8% | 11.2% | 4.9% | 3.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 76.4% | 3.8% | 11.7% | 4.7% | 2.8% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 76.3% | 3.8% | 12.0% | 4.5% | 2.8% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 76.1% | 4.0% | 12.1% | 4.3% | 2.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 75.7% | 6.5% | 11.1% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 73.8% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 3.6% | 2.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 71.9% | 11.5% | 9.4% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 70.8% | 12.9% | 9.6% | 3.4% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | 14.3% | 9.1% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 78.1% in 2009 to 69.9% in 2024, down 8.2 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 10 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Union County: its share of workers rose from 2.8% in 2009 to 14.3% in 2024, up 11.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.5% to 2.4% of workers (down 1.1 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2022 release and has stayed ahead since.
Public transit peaked at 12.1% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 9.1%.
Commute Start Times in Union County
- ⏰ Earlier AlarmsThe 2nd-biggest shift to earlier mornings among New Jersey's 21 counties: the typical start is 7 minutes earlier than in 2009.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Union County?
The bars show when commuters in Union 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 |
12:00-4:59 AM
Union County4.8%
New Jersey3.9%
|
4.8% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Union County4.2%
New Jersey3.1%
|
4.2% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Union County4.6%
New Jersey3.9%
|
4.6% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Union County9.6%
New Jersey8.0%
|
9.6% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Union County8.2%
New Jersey8.9%
|
8.2% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Union County16.1%
New Jersey14.2%
|
16.1% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Union County11.3%
New Jersey11.8%
|
11.3% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Union County12.3%
New Jersey14.0%
|
12.3% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Union County5.9%
New Jersey7.6%
|
5.9% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Union County7.3%
New Jersey8.1%
|
7.3% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Union County2.7%
New Jersey3.2%
|
2.7% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Union County1.5%
New Jersey1.5%
|
1.5% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Union County6.1%
New Jersey6.3%
|
6.1% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Union County5.4%
New Jersey5.4%
|
5.4% |
Union County New Jersey Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Union County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 16.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.2% across New Jersey. Early starts are more common than in New Jersey: 13.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.9% there. The morning rush looks much like New Jersey's: 47.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (22.9%) 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Union County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:43 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:42 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:41 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:41 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:40 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:38 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:38 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:38 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:37 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:39 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:39 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:39 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:37 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:38 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:38 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:37 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Union County were on the road by 7:37 AM, 7 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:43 AM). That goes against the trend across New Jersey, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Union County now leave 1 minute 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 Union County has moved 2 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Union County in the whole series.
How does Union County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 26.1 min | 26.2 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 14.3% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 9.1% | 8.1% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Union County is about the same as in New Jersey.
9.1% commute by public transit, higher than the 8.1% in New Jersey. 2.4% commute by walking, lower than the 2.6% in New Jersey.
Union County, NJ Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, NJ is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 578,268 residents against a local median of 717,070. Union County, NJ's work from home, at 14.3%, runs 21% below the 18.1% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread 11.1% on work from home, so Union County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | 578,268 | 26.1 min #2/6 | 14.3% #5/6 | 7:37 AM #2/6 |
| Essex County, NJ | 861,155 | 30.3 min | 16.1% | 7:52 AM |
| Richmond County, NY | 494,794 | 35.5 min | 10.7% | 7:29 AM |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 870,701 | 26.6 min | 18.1% | 7:54 AM |
| Hudson County, NJ | 717,070 | 32.7 min | 20.5% | 8:03 AM |
| Morris County, NJ | 514,287 | 25.8 min | 21.8% | 7:54 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Union County, New Jersey.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Union County, New Jersey?
Commuters here spend an estimated 217 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,736 at a typical national wage.
When is rush hour worst in Union County, New Jersey?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Union County, New Jersey. 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in New Jersey?
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).