Commuting in Otsego County, New York: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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How long is the round-trip commute in Otsego County?
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Commute Time Burden in Otsego County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Otsego County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 36% less time on the road than the New York average of 28.7 minutes each way, a difference of 10.3 minutes.
Otsego County holds about 0.3% of New York's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Otsego County would save about 61 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,904 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)
Otsego County
18.4 min
36.9 min
154 hrs/yr
$4,761
616
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
18.4
minutes to get to work in
Otsego County.
That's 18% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 11.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Otsego County
Car:
79.2%unusually high
Worked at Home:
11.7%
Walked:
7.3%
Public Transportation:
1.0%unusually low
Other:
0.5%
Bicycle:
0.2%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Otsego County: 7.1 times less than the New York average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Driving is 44% more common in Otsego County than the New York average (79.2% vs 55.0%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Otsego County: 21.1 times less than the New York average (1.0% vs 21.7%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Otsego County: 24.5 times less than the New York average (0.0% vs 0.7%).
Biking is unusually rare in Otsego County: 4.0 times less than the New York average (0.2% vs 0.8%).
Commute Mode Trends in Otsego County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Otsego 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
Public Transportation
Other
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
84.6%
5.2%
7.2%
1.9%
0.4%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
2010
82.7%
5.3%
8.7%
2.0%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2011
83.2%
5.2%
8.6%
2.1%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
2012
82.9%
6.0%
8.3%
1.9%
0.4%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2013
82.1%
6.2%
9.0%
1.9%
0.5%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2014
82.7%
5.9%
8.7%
1.6%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2015
81.7%
6.2%
9.0%
1.8%
0.5%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2016
82.3%
6.1%
8.4%
1.9%
0.5%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2017
82.2%
5.1%
8.7%
2.2%
0.8%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
2018
83.1%
5.2%
8.3%
1.7%
0.8%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
2019
83.0%
4.9%
8.6%
1.7%
0.9%
0.3%
0.5%
0.0%
2020
84.7%
5.3%
7.2%
1.6%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.0%
2021
83.7%
6.7%
7.4%
1.1%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2022
82.5%
8.5%
7.4%
0.6%
0.5%
0.2%
0.3%
0.0%
2023
81.6%
9.5%
7.2%
0.8%
0.6%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
79.2%
11.7%
7.3%
1.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2020 at 84.7%. Overall it fell from 84.6% in 2009 to 79.2% in 2024, down 5.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 4 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Otsego County: its share of workers rose from 5.2% in 2009 to 11.7% in 2024, up 6.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 6.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 1.9% to 1.0% of workers (down 0.9 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2022 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 9.0% in 2013 and has since fallen back to 7.3%.
Commute Start Times in Otsego County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Otsego County?
The bars show when commuters in Otsego 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 AMOtsego County5.3%New York3.9%
5.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMOtsego County3.2%New York2.9%
3.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMOtsego County4.5%New York3.7%
4.5%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMOtsego County7.5%New York7.5%
7.5%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMOtsego County11.1%New York8.1%
11.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMOtsego County16.2%New York13.9%
16.2%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMOtsego County13.9%New York11.1%
13.9%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMOtsego County10.3%New York14.0%
10.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMOtsego County4.6%New York7.7%
4.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMOtsego County4.6%New York9.5%
4.6%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMOtsego County2.5%New York3.7%
2.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMOtsego County1.4%New York1.7%
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMOtsego County9.1%New York6.9%
9.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMOtsego County5.8%New York5.3%
5.8%
Otsego CountyNew YorkSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Otsego County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 16.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.9% across New York. Early starts are more common than in New York: 13.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.6% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in New York: 51.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (23.4%) 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 Otsego 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 Otsego 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 Otsego 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
Otsego County
New York
United States
2009
7:45 AM
7:54 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:46 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:46 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:44 AM
7:55 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:46 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:45 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:45 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:45 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:46 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:44 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:43 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:42 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:38 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:40 AM
7:56 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:35 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:35 AM
7:57 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Otsego County were on the road by 7:35 AM, 10 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:45 AM). That goes against the trend across New York, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Otsego County now leave 3 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 Otsego County has moved 9 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Otsego County in the whole series.
How does Otsego County's commute time compare?
Metric
Otsego County
New York
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
18.4 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
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
11.7%
15.0%
15.0%
Walked
7.3%
5.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.0%
21.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Otsego County is 18.4 minutes, shorter than the 28.7 minutes in New York.
1.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 21.7% in New York. 7.3% commute by walking, higher than the 5.6% in New York.
Otsego County, NY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Otsego County, NY is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 60,108 residents against a local median of 46,321. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Otsego County, NY an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is work from home, 12% above the local median at 11.7% against 10.4%. Otsego County, NY has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Otsego County, New York.
Is living in Otsego County, New York good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 154 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,761 at a typical national wage. That's 36% less than the typical New York commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Otsego County, New York?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Otsego County, New York. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Otsego County, New York?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 1.0% of commuters use it versus 21.7% in New York, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How do commute times compare across counties in New York?
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).