Commuting in Bedford County, Pennsylvania: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 3:06 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Bedford County?
Map AI9/24/26, 3:06 PM
Commute Time Burden in Bedford County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Bedford County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 1% less time on the road than the Pennsylvania average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 0.3 minutes.
Bedford County holds about 0.4% of Pennsylvania's population and accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Bedford County would save about 73 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,277 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)
Bedford County
22.0 min
44.1 min
184 hrs/yr
$5,692
468
Pennsylvania
22.4 min
44.7 min
186 hrs/yr
$5,779
1,152
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
22.0
minutes to get to work in
Bedford County.
That's 2% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 7.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Bedford County
Car:
89.4%
Worked at Home:
7.5%
Walked:
1.7%
Other:
0.6%
Public Transportation:
0.4%unusually low
Bicycle:
0.3%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Public transit is unusually rare in Bedford County: 8.5 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.4% vs 3.6%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Bedford County: 9.0 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in Bedford County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Bedford 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
Public Transportation
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
91.6%
4.0%
3.1%
0.8%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
2010
91.9%
4.0%
2.9%
0.6%
0.2%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2011
92.2%
3.7%
2.8%
0.8%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2012
91.7%
3.9%
3.1%
0.8%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
0.2%
2013
91.8%
4.3%
2.6%
0.8%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2014
92.2%
4.0%
2.3%
0.8%
0.1%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
2015
91.6%
4.1%
2.5%
1.0%
0.2%
0.5%
0.0%
0.1%
2016
90.9%
4.5%
2.7%
1.0%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
0.1%
2017
90.8%
4.6%
2.6%
1.1%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
91.2%
4.3%
2.6%
0.9%
0.5%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
90.8%
4.8%
2.7%
0.7%
0.6%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
90.5%
5.5%
2.5%
0.6%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
90.0%
6.0%
2.4%
0.6%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
89.9%
6.2%
2.1%
0.7%
0.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
89.4%
6.9%
2.1%
0.5%
0.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
89.4%
7.5%
1.7%
0.6%
0.4%
0.3%
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 2011 at 92.2%. Overall it fell from 91.6% in 2009 to 89.4% in 2024, down 2.2 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in Bedford County: its share of workers rose from 4.0% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2024, up 3.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 2.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.1% to 1.7% of workers (down 1.4 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Bedford County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Bedford County?
The bars show when commuters in Bedford 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 Pennsylvania for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMBedford County10.7%Pennsylvania5.3%
10.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMBedford County5.9%Pennsylvania3.9%
5.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMBedford County5.8%Pennsylvania5.3%
5.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMBedford County10.2%Pennsylvania8.9%
10.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMBedford County9.8%Pennsylvania10.1%
9.8%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMBedford County11.7%Pennsylvania13.8%
11.7%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMBedford County11.8%Pennsylvania11.4%
11.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMBedford County7.9%Pennsylvania10.9%
7.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMBedford County4.7%Pennsylvania5.8%
4.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMBedford County3.8%Pennsylvania6.1%
3.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMBedford County2.0%Pennsylvania2.7%
2.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMBedford County1.1%Pennsylvania1.4%
1.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMBedford County7.1%Pennsylvania7.6%
7.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMBedford County7.6%Pennsylvania6.9%
7.6%
Bedford CountyPennsylvaniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Bedford County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 11.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.4% across Pennsylvania. Early starts are more common than in Pennsylvania: 22.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Pennsylvania: 41.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.6%) 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 Bedford 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County next to Pennsylvania 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
Bedford County
Pennsylvania
United States
2009
7:17 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:19 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:19 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:16 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:18 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:18 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:16 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:15 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:16 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:15 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:17 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:21 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:21 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:20 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:20 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:20 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Bedford County were on the road by 7:20 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:17 AM). That goes against the trend across Pennsylvania, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Bedford County now leave 18 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 Bedford County has moved 3 minutes later.
How does Bedford County's commute time compare?
Metric
Bedford County
Pennsylvania
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
22.0 min
22.4 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
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
7.5%
15.6%
15.0%
Walked
1.7%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.4%
3.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Bedford County is about the same as in Pennsylvania.
0.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.6% in Pennsylvania. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 3.2% in Pennsylvania.
Bedford County, PA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Bedford County, PA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 47,513 residents against a local median of 67,200. Bedford County, PA's one-way commute, at 22.0 min, runs 19% above the 18.5 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 18.7 min on one-way commute, so Bedford County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Bedford County, PA has the 4th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
Commuters here spend an estimated 184 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,692 at a typical national wage. That's 1% less than the typical Pennsylvania commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Bedford County, Pennsylvania?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.4% of commuters use it versus 3.6% in Pennsylvania, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How do commute times compare across counties in Pennsylvania?
Among counties in Pennsylvania, the shortest average commutes are in Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min). The longest are in Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).