Centre County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCompare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Centre County.
Commute from My AddressCommute Time Burden in Centre County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Centre 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 22% less time on the road than the Pennsylvania average of 22.5 minutes each way, a difference of 4.9 minutes.
Centre County holds about 1.2% of Pennsylvania's population but accounts for roughly 1.0% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Centre County would save about 59 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,816 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre County | 17.6 min | 35.2 min | 146 hrs/yr | $4,541 | 885 |
| Pennsylvania | 22.5 min | 44.9 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,802 | 1,152 |
| United States | 22.5 min | 44.9 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,803 | 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.
Commute Time Map: Pennsylvania Counties
- Cameron County (12.2 min)
- Elk County (15.4 min)
- Union County (16.3 min)
- Pike County (33.0 min)
- Perry County (31.8 min)
- Carbon County (30.6 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 17.6 minutes to get to work in Centre County. That's 22% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 85% of counties in Pennsylvania
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM , followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM .
Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 13.6% work from home.
Commute mode distribution
- Car: 72.8%
- Worked at Home: 13.6%
- Walked: 7.6%
- Public Transportation: 3.6%
- Bicycle: 1.8% unusually high
- Other: 0.4%
- Taxi: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Motorcycle commuting is unusually low in Centre County: 3.3 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Bicycle commuting is unusually common in Centre County: 4.1 times more than the Pennsylvania average (1.8% vs 0.4%).
How does Centre County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Centre County | Pennsylvania | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 17.6 min | 22.5 min | 22.5 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 | 13.6% | 13.8% | 13.4% |
| Walked | 7.6% | 3.3% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.5% |
The average commute time in Centre County is 17.6 minutes, shorter than the 22.5 minutes in Pennsylvania.
3.6% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.9% in Pennsylvania. 7.6% commute by walking, higher than the 3.3% in Pennsylvania.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Is commuting expensive in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Commuters here spend an estimated 146 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,541 at a typical national wage. That's 22% less than the typical Pennsylvania commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Centre 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Pennsylvania?
Among counties in Pennsylvania, the shortest average commutes are in Cameron County (12.2 min), Elk County (15.4 min), Union County (16.3 min). The longest are in Pike County (33.0 min), Perry County (31.8 min), Carbon County (30.6 min).