Commuting in Ontario County, New York: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 7:50 PM
Is the commute in Ontario County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 7:50 PM
Commute Time Burden in Ontario County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Ontario County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 27% less time on the road than the New York average of 28.7 minutes each way, a difference of 7.8 minutes.
Ontario County holds about 0.6% of New York's population but accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Ontario County would save about 70 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,162 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)
Ontario County
20.9 min
41.8 min
174 hrs/yr
$5,404
1,256
New York
28.7 min
57.4 min
239 hrs/yr
$7,414
1,586
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
20.9
minutes to get to work in
Ontario County.
That's 7% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 13.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Ontario County
Car:
82.0%unusually high
Worked at Home:
13.5%
Walked:
2.7%
Other:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.4%
Public Transportation:
0.3%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Driving is 49% more common in Ontario County than the New York average (82.0% vs 55.0%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Ontario County: 80.4 times less than the New York average (0.3% vs 21.7%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Ontario County: 30.6 times less than the New York average (0.0% vs 0.7%).
Commute Mode Trends in Ontario County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Ontario 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
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
90.8%
4.5%
3.5%
0.4%
0.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2010
90.6%
4.5%
3.7%
0.5%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2011
90.7%
4.2%
3.5%
0.6%
0.3%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
2012
90.2%
3.9%
4.1%
0.7%
0.3%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
2013
89.8%
3.9%
4.2%
0.8%
0.4%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
2014
89.9%
3.8%
4.0%
0.8%
0.4%
1.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2015
90.4%
3.7%
3.9%
0.6%
0.4%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
90.7%
3.8%
3.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
2017
90.8%
4.2%
3.5%
0.4%
0.3%
0.7%
0.1%
0.1%
2018
90.8%
4.6%
3.2%
0.4%
0.2%
0.6%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
91.0%
4.8%
2.9%
0.4%
0.1%
0.7%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
89.1%
6.8%
2.8%
0.4%
0.2%
0.6%
0.1%
0.1%
2021
87.3%
8.4%
3.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
2022
85.7%
10.0%
3.0%
0.6%
0.2%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
83.5%
11.4%
3.3%
0.8%
0.4%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2024
82.0%
13.5%
2.7%
0.9%
0.4%
0.3%
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 2019 at 91.0%. Overall it fell from 90.8% in 2009 to 82.0% in 2024, down 8.8 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Ontario County: its share of workers rose from 4.5% in 2009 to 13.5% in 2024, up 9.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.5% to 2.7% of workers (down 0.8 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Ontario County
🚦Rush-Hour RegularsThe 2nd-highest share of rush-hour departures among New York's 62 counties: 53.0% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Ontario County?
The bars show when commuters in Ontario 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 York for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMOntario County3.8%New York3.9%
3.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMOntario County2.1%New York2.9%
2.1%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMOntario County4.9%New York3.7%
4.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMOntario County8.2%New York7.5%
8.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMOntario County13.6%New York8.1%
13.6%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMOntario County15.9%New York13.9%
15.9%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMOntario County13.4%New York11.1%
13.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMOntario County10.1%New York14.0%
10.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMOntario County6.5%New York7.7%
6.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMOntario County4.6%New York9.5%
4.6%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMOntario County2.5%New York3.7%
2.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMOntario County1.7%New York1.7%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMOntario County7.1%New York6.9%
7.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMOntario County5.5%New York5.3%
5.5%
Ontario CountyNew YorkSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Ontario County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 15.9% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.9% across New York. Early starts are about as common as in New York: 10.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.6% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in New York: 53.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.5%) 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 Ontario 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 Ontario 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 Ontario County next to New York 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
Ontario County
New York
United States
2009
7:34 AM
7:54 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:34 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:33 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:36 AM
7:55 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:38 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:39 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:39 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:41 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:38 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:37 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:38 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:37 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:35 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:32 AM
7:56 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:33 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:33 AM
7:57 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Ontario County were on the road by 7:33 AM, 1 minute earlier than in 2009 (7:34 AM). That goes against the trend across New York, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Ontario County now leave 5 minutes 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 Ontario County has moved 5 minutes earlier.
How does Ontario County's commute time compare?
Metric
Ontario County
New York
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
20.9 min
28.7 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
06:30 AM – 06:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
13.5%
15.0%
15.0%
Walked
2.7%
5.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.3%
21.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Ontario County is 20.9 minutes, shorter than the 28.7 minutes in New York.
0.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 21.7% in New York. 2.7% commute by walking, lower than the 5.6% in New York.
Ontario County, NY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Ontario County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 112,625 residents against a local median of 61,495. Ontario County, NY's work from home, at 13.5%, runs 55% above the 8.7% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.9 min against a local median of 18.1 min, 15% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 15% above the local median it puts Ontario County, NY at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 4.9% on work from home, so Ontario County, NY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ontario County, NY has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Ontario County, New York.
Is commuting expensive in Ontario County, New York?
Commuters here spend an estimated 174 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,404 at a typical national wage. That's 27% less than the typical New York commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Ontario County, New York?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Ontario County, New York. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Ontario County, New York?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.3% of commuters use it versus 21.7% in New York, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in New York have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in New York, the shortest average commutes are in Hamilton County (13.6 min), Chautauqua County (15.4 min), Franklin County (16.4 min). The longest are in Bronx County (43.2 min), Queens County (41.8 min), Kings County (41.6 min).