Commuting in Tompkins 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, 8:01 PM
Is the commute in Tompkins County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:01 PM
Commute Time Burden in Tompkins County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Tompkins County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 146 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting. That is 39% less time on the road than the New York average of 28.7 minutes each way, a difference of 11.2 minutes.
Tompkins County holds about 0.5% of New York's population but accounts for roughly 0.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Tompkins County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,807 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)
Tompkins County
17.5 min
35.0 min
146 hrs/yr
$4,518
1,326
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
17.5
minutes to get to work in
Tompkins County.
That's 22% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 80% of counties in New York
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 20.0% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Tompkins County
Car:
61.0%
Worked at Home:
20.0%
Walked:
11.4%
Public Transportation:
4.7%unusually low
Bicycle:
1.8%
Other:
0.9%
Motorcycle:
0.3%unusually high
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Tompkins County: 3.2 times more than the New York average (0.3% vs 0.1%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Tompkins County: 4.7 times less than the New York average (4.7% vs 21.7%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Tompkins County, versus 0.7% in New York.
Commute Mode Trends in Tompkins County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Tompkins 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
Bicycle
Other
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
68.8%
6.3%
16.4%
5.9%
1.5%
0.6%
0.3%
0.1%
2010
68.3%
6.5%
16.3%
6.8%
1.3%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
2011
68.6%
7.0%
16.1%
6.4%
1.1%
0.3%
0.4%
0.1%
2012
69.3%
6.7%
15.7%
6.5%
1.1%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2013
69.5%
6.4%
15.6%
6.8%
1.0%
0.3%
0.4%
0.0%
2014
70.7%
6.1%
14.9%
6.5%
1.1%
0.3%
0.4%
0.0%
2015
71.5%
5.7%
14.6%
6.3%
1.2%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2016
71.8%
5.6%
14.1%
6.5%
1.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2017
70.7%
6.3%
14.2%
6.5%
1.6%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2018
71.0%
6.4%
13.8%
6.5%
1.6%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2019
69.7%
7.3%
14.0%
6.7%
1.5%
0.4%
0.3%
0.2%
2020
67.4%
11.2%
12.9%
6.3%
1.2%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
2021
65.0%
14.5%
12.0%
6.2%
1.2%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
2022
64.0%
16.1%
11.9%
6.0%
1.0%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
2023
62.4%
19.0%
10.4%
5.4%
1.5%
1.1%
0.3%
0.1%
2024
61.0%
20.0%
11.4%
4.7%
1.8%
0.9%
0.3%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2016 at 71.8%. Overall it fell from 68.8% in 2009 to 61.0% in 2024, down 7.8 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Tompkins County: its share of workers rose from 6.3% in 2009 to 20.0% in 2024, up 13.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 12.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 16.4% to 11.4% of workers (down 5.0 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Tompkins County
🦉Night OwlThe 2nd-latest start among New York's 62 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:19 AM.
😴Sleeping InThe 2nd-highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among New York's 62 counties: 32.7% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Tompkins County?
The bars show when commuters in Tompkins 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 AMTompkins County2.2%New York3.9%
2.2%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMTompkins County1.3%New York2.9%
1.3%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMTompkins County1.9%New York3.7%
1.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMTompkins County5.5%New York7.5%
5.5%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMTompkins County6.7%New York8.1%
6.7%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMTompkins County9.1%New York13.9%
9.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMTompkins County13.8%New York11.1%
13.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMTompkins County14.8%New York14.0%
14.8%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMTompkins County12.1%New York7.7%
12.1%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMTompkins County11.5%New York9.5%
11.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMTompkins County4.0%New York3.7%
4.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMTompkins County1.4%New York1.7%
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMTompkins County10.3%New York6.9%
10.3%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMTompkins County5.5%New York5.3%
5.5%
Tompkins CountyNew YorkSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Tompkins County is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 14.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.0% across New York. Early starts are less common than in New York: 5.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.6% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in New York: 44.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (32.7%) 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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
Tompkins County
New York
United States
2009
8:23 AM
7:54 AM
7:37 AM
2010
8:24 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2011
8:25 AM
7:54 AM
7:38 AM
2012
8:21 AM
7:55 AM
7:38 AM
2013
8:16 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2014
8:12 AM
7:56 AM
7:39 AM
2015
8:09 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2016
8:11 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2017
8:13 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2018
8:15 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2019
8:17 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2020
8:18 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2021
8:17 AM
7:55 AM
7:37 AM
2022
8:16 AM
7:56 AM
7:37 AM
2023
8:18 AM
7:56 AM
7:38 AM
2024
8:20 AM
7:57 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Tompkins County were on the road by 8:20 AM, 3 minutes earlier than in 2009 (8:23 AM). That goes against the trend across New York, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Tompkins County now leave 42 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 Tompkins County has moved 3 minutes later.
How does Tompkins County's commute time compare?
Metric
Tompkins County
New York
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
17.5 min
28.7 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
08:00 AM – 08:29 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
20.0%
15.0%
15.0%
Walked
11.4%
5.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
4.7%
21.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Tompkins County is 17.5 minutes, shorter than the 28.7 minutes in New York.
4.7% commute by public transit, lower than the 21.7% in New York. 11.4% commute by walking, higher than the 5.6% in New York.
Tompkins County, NY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Tompkins County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 103,844 residents against a local median of 46,246. Tompkins County, NY's work from home, at 20.0%, runs 132% above the 8.6% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves sit within 2.3% of each other on work from home, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Tompkins County, NY, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Tompkins County, NY has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Tompkins County, New York.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Tompkins County, New York?
Commuters here spend an estimated 146 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,518 at a typical national wage. That's 39% less than the typical New York commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Tompkins County, New York?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Tompkins 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.
Do people use public transit in Tompkins County, New York?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 4.7% of commuters use it versus 21.7% in New York, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How much time do residents in Tompkins County, New York save by working from home?
About 20.0% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Tompkins County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,807 at the same national wage assumption used above.
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).