Commuting in Clackamas 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, 7:53 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Clackamas County?
Map AI9/24/26, 7:53 PM
Commute Time Burden in Clackamas County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Clackamas County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 199 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 18% more time on the road than the Oregon average of 20.1 minutes each way, a difference of 3.7 minutes.
Clackamas County holds about 10.0% of Oregon's population but accounts for roughly 11.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Clackamas County would save about 80 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,465 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)
Clackamas County
23.9 min
47.7 min
199 hrs/yr
$6,162
1,724
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
23.9
minutes to get to work in
Clackamas County.
That's 6% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 3 slowest counties in Oregon
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 20.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Clackamas County
Car:
73.7%
Worked at Home:
20.9%
Walked:
2.5%
Public Transportation:
1.4%
Other:
0.7%
Bicycle:
0.5%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Clackamas County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Clackamas 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
85.7%
6.8%
2.8%
3.4%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
2010
85.6%
7.5%
2.4%
3.2%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
2011
85.7%
7.8%
2.4%
2.9%
0.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.3%
2012
85.8%
7.9%
2.2%
2.8%
0.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.4%
2013
86.1%
8.0%
2.0%
2.7%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.4%
2014
85.9%
7.8%
2.0%
3.0%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
0.4%
2015
86.4%
7.2%
2.0%
2.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.4%
2016
86.1%
7.3%
2.0%
2.9%
0.6%
0.6%
0.0%
0.4%
2017
85.7%
7.8%
2.1%
2.9%
0.7%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
2018
85.3%
8.0%
2.1%
2.8%
0.8%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
2019
84.7%
8.4%
2.1%
3.0%
0.9%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
2020
82.8%
10.4%
2.2%
2.8%
0.9%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
2021
80.4%
13.4%
2.1%
2.4%
1.0%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
78.0%
16.2%
2.2%
2.1%
0.9%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2023
75.2%
19.0%
2.4%
1.9%
0.9%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2024
73.7%
20.9%
2.5%
1.4%
0.7%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2015 at 86.4%. Overall it fell from 85.7% in 2009 to 73.7% in 2024, down 12.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 9 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Clackamas County: its share of workers rose from 6.8% in 2009 to 20.9% in 2024, up 14.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 12.5 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 3.4% to 1.4% of workers (down 2.0 percentage points).
Walking overtook public transit to become the 3rd most common choice in the 2022 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Clackamas County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Clackamas County?
The bars show when commuters in Clackamas 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 AMClackamas County5.7%Oregon5.9%
5.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMClackamas County4.7%Oregon3.8%
4.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMClackamas County5.1%Oregon5.0%
5.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMClackamas County8.8%Oregon7.6%
8.8%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMClackamas County11.1%Oregon9.7%
11.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMClackamas County13.7%Oregon13.0%
13.7%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMClackamas County12.1%Oregon13.0%
12.1%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMClackamas County10.0%Oregon10.6%
10.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMClackamas County5.2%Oregon5.8%
5.2%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMClackamas County6.4%Oregon7.2%
6.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMClackamas County3.4%Oregon3.7%
3.4%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMClackamas County1.9%Oregon1.8%
1.9%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMClackamas County6.2%Oregon7.1%
6.2%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMClackamas County5.6%Oregon5.7%
5.6%
Clackamas CountyOregonSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Clackamas County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.0% across Oregon. Early starts are about as common as in Oregon: 15.6% 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 4 commuters (23.5%) 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 Clackamas 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 Clackamas 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 Clackamas 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
Clackamas County
Oregon
United States
2009
7:28 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:28 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:28 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:28 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:27 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:26 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:26 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:26 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:25 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:25 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:24 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:25 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:26 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:28 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:31 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:32 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Clackamas County were on the road by 7:32 AM, 4 minutes later than in 2009 (7:28 AM). The shift is sharper than across Oregon, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in Clackamas County now leave 6 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 Clackamas County has moved 8 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Clackamas County in the whole series.
How does Clackamas County's commute time compare?
Metric
Clackamas County
Oregon
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
23.9 min
20.1 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
20.9%
19.0%
15.0%
Walked
2.5%
3.3%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.4%
2.2%
3.2%
The average commute time in Clackamas County is 23.9 minutes, longer than the 20.1 minutes in Oregon.
1.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.2% in Oregon. 2.5% commute by walking, lower than the 3.3% in Oregon.
Clackamas County, OR Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Clackamas County, OR is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 423,491 residents against a local median of 349,246. Clackamas County, OR sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 10% above the local median at 23.9 min against 21.7 min. Clackamas County, OR has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Clackamas County, Oregon.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Clackamas County, Oregon?
Commuters here spend an estimated 199 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,162 at a typical national wage. That's 18% more than the typical Oregon commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Clackamas County, Oregon?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Clackamas County, Oregon. 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among 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).