Santa Fe Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Santa Fe, New Mexico: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Santa Fe: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Santa Fe spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 5% less time on the road than the New Mexico average of 18.8 minutes each way, a difference of 1.0 minutes.
Santa Fe holds about 4.0% of New Mexico's population but accounts for roughly 3.7% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Santa Fe would save about 59 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,843 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | 17.8 min | 35.7 min | 149 hrs/yr | $4,608 | 3,061 |
| 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.
Santa Fe Commute Map
On average, it takes 17.8 minutes to get to work in Santa Fe. That's 20% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 17.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Santa Fe
- Car: 76.8%
- Worked at Home: 17.4%
- Walked: 2.6%
- Other: 1.2%
- Public Transportation: 1.1%
- Bicycle: 0.8%
- Taxi: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Santa Fe: 3.2 times less than the New Mexico average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Santa Fe, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Santa Fe 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 | Public Transportation | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 84.9% | 7.6% | 3.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 84.9% | 7.8% | 3.3% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 84.2% | 8.0% | 3.0% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 85.4% | 7.2% | 3.0% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 85.9% | 7.1% | 2.6% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2014 | 86.0% | 6.8% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2015 | 86.6% | 6.7% | 2.6% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2016 | 87.5% | 6.2% | 2.7% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2017 | 87.9% | 5.8% | 2.7% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 88.6% | 5.9% | 2.5% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 88.1% | 6.8% | 2.4% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 86.3% | 9.1% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.5% | 12.0% | 2.2% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 79.6% | 14.8% | 2.4% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 78.5% | 16.1% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 76.8% | 17.4% | 2.6% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2018 at 88.6%. Overall it fell from 84.9% in 2009 to 76.8% in 2024, down 8.1 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Santa Fe: its share of workers rose from 7.6% in 2009 to 17.4% in 2024, up 9.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.5% to 2.6% of workers (down 0.9 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Santa Fe
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Santa Fe?
The bars show when commuters in Santa Fe 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 AM
Santa Fe2.4%
New Mexico4.6%
|
2.4% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Santa Fe1.1%
New Mexico3.5%
|
1.1% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Santa Fe2.9%
New Mexico5.1%
|
2.9% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Santa Fe6.4%
New Mexico8.7%
|
6.4% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Santa Fe6.3%
New Mexico10.1%
|
6.3% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Santa Fe13.6%
New Mexico15.5%
|
13.6% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Santa Fe20.1%
New Mexico14.8%
|
20.1% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Santa Fe13.8%
New Mexico11.1%
|
13.8% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Santa Fe7.3%
New Mexico4.5%
|
7.3% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Santa Fe9.9%
New Mexico6.0%
|
9.9% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Santa Fe4.9%
New Mexico3.1%
|
4.9% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Santa Fe1.4%
New Mexico1.3%
|
1.4% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Santa Fe5.8%
New Mexico6.3%
|
5.8% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Santa Fe4.0%
New Mexico5.5%
|
4.0% |
Santa Fe New Mexico Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Santa Fe is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 20.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.8% across New Mexico. Early starts are less common than in New Mexico: 6.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.1% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in New Mexico: 53.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.5% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.0%) 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 Santa Fe, 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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Santa Fe | New Mexico | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:53 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:52 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:52 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:53 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:52 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:53 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:54 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:54 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:52 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Santa Fe were on the road by 7:56 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:53 AM). That goes against the trend across New Mexico, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Santa Fe now leave 18 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 Santa Fe has moved 2 minutes later.
How does Santa Fe's commute time compare?
| Metric | Santa Fe | New Mexico | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 17.8 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 17.4% | 12.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.6% | 1.9% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.1% | 0.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Santa Fe is 17.8 minutes, shorter than the 18.8 minutes in New Mexico.
1.1% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.6% in New Mexico. 2.6% commute by walking, higher than the 1.9% in New Mexico.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Santa Fe, New Mexico?
Commuters here spend an estimated 149 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,608 at a typical national wage. That's 5% less than the typical New Mexico commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Santa Fe, New Mexico?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 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.
How much money can remote workers save in Santa Fe, New Mexico?
About 17.4% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Santa Fe would save about 59 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,843 at the same national wage assumption used above.