Commuting in Benton County, Oregon: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:00 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Benton County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:00 PM
Commute Time Burden in Benton County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Benton County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 132 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 21% less time on the road than the Oregon average of 20.1 minutes each way, a difference of 4.3 minutes.
Benton County holds about 2.3% of Oregon's population but accounts for roughly 1.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Benton County would save about 53 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,638 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)
Benton County
15.8 min
31.7 min
132 hrs/yr
$4,095
839
Oregon
20.1 min
40.3 min
168 hrs/yr
$5,203
967
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
15.8
minutes to get to work in
Benton County.
That's 29% 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 20.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Benton County
Car:
66.0%
Worked at Home:
20.3%
Walked:
7.3%
Bicycle:
3.8%
Public Transportation:
1.4%
Other:
1.1%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Benton County: 5.4 times less than the Oregon average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Benton County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Benton 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
Public Transportation
Other
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
76.5%
6.6%
8.4%
6.0%
1.9%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2010
74.5%
6.9%
9.6%
6.5%
1.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2011
73.8%
7.1%
9.3%
7.0%
2.2%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2012
72.9%
7.7%
8.8%
7.7%
2.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2013
71.7%
8.1%
8.6%
8.4%
2.3%
0.3%
0.5%
0.1%
2014
72.5%
7.4%
8.6%
8.1%
2.4%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
2015
73.8%
7.6%
7.1%
8.4%
2.1%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
2016
73.6%
7.3%
7.2%
8.9%
2.0%
0.5%
0.4%
0.0%
2017
73.1%
7.5%
7.5%
8.6%
2.2%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
2018
73.5%
6.8%
8.1%
8.0%
2.4%
0.6%
0.4%
0.0%
2019
74.3%
6.3%
7.9%
7.9%
2.5%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
2020
71.9%
9.4%
7.9%
7.4%
2.1%
1.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2021
70.1%
13.3%
7.2%
5.9%
2.2%
1.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2022
69.2%
14.6%
7.5%
5.3%
2.0%
1.3%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
67.7%
16.7%
7.4%
4.8%
1.9%
1.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2024
66.0%
20.3%
7.3%
3.8%
1.4%
1.1%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 76.5% in 2009 to 66.0% in 2024, down 10.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Benton County: its share of workers rose from 6.6% in 2009 to 20.3% in 2024, up 13.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 14.0 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Biking lost the most ground, falling from 6.0% to 3.8% of workers (down 2.2 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 9.6% in 2010 and has since fallen back to 7.3%.
Commute Start Times in Benton County
🦉Night OwlThe latest start among Oregon's 36 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:07 AM.
😴Sleeping InThe 2nd-highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Oregon's 36 counties: 32.5% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Benton County?
The bars show when commuters in Benton 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 Oregon for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMBenton County3.4%Oregon5.9%
3.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMBenton County2.2%Oregon3.8%
2.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMBenton County3.0%Oregon5.0%
3.0%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMBenton County4.3%Oregon7.6%
4.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMBenton County8.2%Oregon9.7%
8.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMBenton County11.6%Oregon13.0%
11.6%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMBenton County14.3%Oregon13.0%
14.3%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMBenton County12.9%Oregon10.6%
12.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMBenton County7.5%Oregon5.8%
7.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMBenton County11.2%Oregon7.2%
11.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMBenton County4.4%Oregon3.7%
4.4%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMBenton County2.0%Oregon1.8%
2.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMBenton County8.4%Oregon7.1%
8.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMBenton County6.5%Oregon5.7%
6.5%
Benton CountyOregonSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Benton County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.0% across Oregon. Early starts are less common than in Oregon: 8.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.7% there. The morning rush looks much like Oregon's: 47.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.3% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (32.5%) 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 Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton County next to Oregon 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
Benton County
Oregon
United States
2009
8:01 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
8:00 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2011
8:00 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
8:01 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2013
8:01 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:58 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:58 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:58 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:58 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:58 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:59 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2020
8:01 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2021
8:04 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2022
8:06 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2023
8:05 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2024
8:07 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Benton County were on the road by 8:07 AM, 6 minutes later than in 2009 (8:01 AM). The shift is sharper than across Oregon, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in Benton County now leave 29 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 Benton County has moved 8 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Benton County in the whole series.
How does Benton County's commute time compare?
Metric
Benton County
Oregon
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
15.8 min
20.1 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
20.3%
19.0%
15.0%
Walked
7.3%
3.3%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.4%
2.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Benton County is 15.8 minutes, shorter than the 20.1 minutes in Oregon.
1.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.2% in Oregon. 7.3% commute by walking, higher than the 3.3% in Oregon.
Benton County, OR Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Benton County, OR is typical in size for this group, 96,284 residents against a local median of 108,598, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Benton County, OR's work from home, at 20.3%, runs 44% above the 14.1% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 15.8 min against a local median of 21.6 min, 27% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 27% below the local median it puts Benton County, OR at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 6.4% on work from home, so Benton County, OR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Benton County, OR has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Benton County, Oregon.
Is living in Benton County, Oregon good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 132 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,095 at a typical national wage. That's 21% less than the typical Oregon commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Benton County, Oregon?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Benton County, Oregon. 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 do commute times compare across counties in Oregon?
Among counties in Oregon, the shortest average commutes are in Lake County (7.7 min), Harney County (8.6 min), Baker County (8.9 min). The longest are in Columbia County (31.7 min), Clackamas County (23.9 min), Polk County (22.2 min).