Commuting in Luna County, New Mexico: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 12:54 PM
Is the commute in Luna County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 12:54 PM
Commute Time Burden in Luna County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Luna County spend about 25 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 106 hours, about 4.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 32% less time on the road than the New Mexico average of 18.8 minutes each way, a difference of 6.1 minutes.
Luna County holds about 1.2% of New Mexico's population but accounts for roughly 0.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Luna County would save about 42 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,315 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)
Luna County
12.7 min
25.5 min
106 hrs/yr
$3,289
340
New Mexico
18.8 min
37.7 min
157 hrs/yr
$4,866
619
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
12.7
minutes to get to work in
Luna County.
That's 43% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 72% of counties in New Mexico
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 6.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Luna County
Car:
90.4%
Worked at Home:
6.2%
Walked:
1.7%
Bicycle:
1.2%
Other:
0.3%
Public Transportation:
0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Luna County: 5.1 times less than the New Mexico average (0.1% vs 0.6%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Luna County, versus 0.1% in New Mexico.
Commute Mode Trends in Luna County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Luna 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
Bicycle
Other
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
87.9%
4.7%
3.7%
1.6%
0.7%
1.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2010
85.3%
7.2%
4.1%
1.4%
0.7%
0.8%
0.5%
0.0%
2011
85.7%
6.7%
4.4%
1.2%
0.7%
1.0%
0.3%
0.0%
2012
88.0%
6.5%
3.0%
0.9%
0.8%
0.6%
0.2%
0.0%
2013
88.8%
6.8%
2.1%
0.1%
1.0%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
89.3%
6.8%
1.8%
0.1%
0.8%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2015
91.7%
4.9%
1.4%
0.0%
0.7%
1.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
90.6%
5.4%
2.0%
0.0%
0.8%
1.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2017
90.8%
4.5%
2.3%
0.0%
1.5%
0.8%
0.1%
0.0%
2018
91.0%
5.1%
2.0%
0.0%
1.2%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
2019
92.6%
3.3%
2.0%
0.0%
1.2%
0.8%
0.1%
0.0%
2020
91.0%
4.5%
2.5%
0.0%
1.1%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2021
91.3%
5.0%
1.6%
0.1%
1.6%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2022
90.5%
6.6%
1.9%
0.1%
0.6%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
91.9%
5.5%
1.7%
0.2%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
90.4%
6.2%
1.7%
1.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2019 at 92.6% and lowest in 2010 at 85.3%. Overall it rose from 87.9% in 2009 to 90.4% in 2024, up 2.5 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Luna County: its share of workers rose from 4.7% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2024, up 1.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 2.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.7% to 1.7% of workers (down 2.0 percentage points).
Working from home peaked at 7.2% in 2010 and has since fallen back to 6.2%.
Commute Start Times in Luna County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Luna County?
The bars show when commuters in Luna 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 Mexico for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMLuna County9.1%New Mexico4.6%
9.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMLuna County4.1%New Mexico3.5%
4.1%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMLuna County3.2%New Mexico5.1%
3.2%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMLuna County6.3%New Mexico8.7%
6.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMLuna County10.8%New Mexico10.1%
10.8%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMLuna County11.4%New Mexico15.5%
11.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMLuna County19.7%New Mexico14.8%
19.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMLuna County11.3%New Mexico11.1%
11.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMLuna County2.0%New Mexico4.5%
2.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMLuna County2.8%New Mexico6.0%
2.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMLuna County3.2%New Mexico3.1%
3.2%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMLuna County0.6%New Mexico1.3%
0.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMLuna County8.6%New Mexico6.3%
8.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMLuna County7.0%New Mexico5.5%
7.0%
Luna CountyNew MexicoSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Luna County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 19.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.8% across New Mexico. Early starts are more common than in New Mexico: 16.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.1% there. The morning rush looks much like New Mexico's: 53.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.5% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (22.2%) 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 Luna 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 Luna 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 Luna County next to New Mexico 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
Luna County
New Mexico
United States
2009
7:46 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:38 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:34 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:33 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:41 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:36 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:31 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:34 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:34 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:35 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:39 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:38 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Luna County were on the road by 7:38 AM, 8 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:46 AM). The shift is sharper than across New Mexico, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Luna County now leave at about the same time as the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Luna County has moved 7 minutes later.
How does Luna County's commute time compare?
Metric
Luna County
New Mexico
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
12.7 min
18.8 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
6.2%
12.2%
15.0%
Walked
1.7%
1.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Luna County is 12.7 minutes, shorter than the 18.8 minutes in New Mexico.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in New Mexico. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 1.9% in New Mexico.
Luna County, NM Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Luna County, NM is typical in size for this group, 25,611 residents against a local median of 27,774, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Luna County, NM apart most is work from home: 6.2%, 29% below the local median of 8.8%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 12.7 min against a local median of 15.4 min, 17% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 17% below the local median it puts Luna County, NM at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 8.5% on work from home, so Luna County, NM sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Luna County, NM has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Luna County, New Mexico.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Luna County, New Mexico?
Commuters here spend an estimated 106 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,289 at a typical national wage. That's 32% less than the typical New Mexico commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Luna County, New Mexico?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Luna County, New Mexico. 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 Luna County, New Mexico?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 0.6% in New Mexico, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in New Mexico have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in New Mexico, the shortest average commutes are in De Baca County (7.9 min), Quay County (8.0 min), Union County (8.3 min). The longest are in Torrance County (36.5 min), Mora County (30.1 min), Valencia County (30.1 min).