Centre County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Centre County, Pennsylvania: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute 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 145 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 22% less time on the road than the Pennsylvania average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 5.0 minutes.
Centre County holds about 1.2% of Pennsylvania's population but accounts for roughly 0.9% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Centre County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,794 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 | 17.4 min | 34.7 min | 145 hrs/yr | $4,484 | 885 |
| 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.
Commute Time Map: Pennsylvania Counties
- Cameron County (11.4 min)
- Elk County (15.4 min)
- McKean County (15.9 min)
- Pike County (32.5 min)
- Perry County (32.0 min)
- Carbon County (30.5 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 17.4 minutes to get to work in Centre County. That's 23% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 91% of counties in Pennsylvania
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 15.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Centre County
- Car: 69.8%
- Worked at Home: 15.3%
- Walked: 9.0%
- Public Transportation: 3.2%
- Bicycle: 1.8% unusually high
- Other: 0.6%
- Taxi: 0.3%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Centre County: 3.3 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Biking is unusually common in Centre County: 4.0 times more than the Pennsylvania average (1.8% vs 0.4%).
Commute Mode Trends in Centre County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Centre 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Walked | Public Transportation | Bicycle | Other | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 78.5% | 4.2% | 11.4% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 78.5% | 4.5% | 10.5% | 3.5% | 2.0% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.4% | 4.6% | 10.1% | 4.0% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 78.7% | 4.2% | 9.5% | 4.5% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2013 | 79.1% | 4.4% | 9.3% | 3.9% | 2.1% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 79.3% | 4.4% | 9.3% | 4.0% | 1.9% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.1% | 4.6% | 9.9% | 4.5% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 77.6% | 4.9% | 9.8% | 4.3% | 2.0% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 77.5% | 4.9% | 9.5% | 5.1% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 77.9% | 4.6% | 8.9% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 77.5% | 4.9% | 9.0% | 5.7% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 77.1% | 7.2% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 75.9% | 9.7% | 7.3% | 4.8% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 74.4% | 12.1% | 7.3% | 4.0% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 72.8% | 13.6% | 7.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 69.8% | 15.3% | 9.0% | 3.2% | 1.8% | 0.6% | 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 2014 at 79.3%. Overall it fell from 78.5% in 2009 to 69.8% in 2024, down 8.7 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Centre County: its share of workers rose from 4.2% in 2009 to 15.3% in 2024, up 11.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 11.4% to 9.0% of workers (down 2.4 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Public transit peaked at 5.7% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 3.2%.
Commute Start Times in Centre County
- 🦉 Night OwlThe latest start among Pennsylvania's 67 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:01 AM.
- 😴 Sleeping InThe highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Pennsylvania's 67 counties: 31.6% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Centre County?
The bars show when commuters in Centre 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 AM
Centre County3.1%
Pennsylvania5.3%
|
3.1% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Centre County2.5%
Pennsylvania3.9%
|
2.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Centre County3.5%
Pennsylvania5.3%
|
3.5% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Centre County7.1%
Pennsylvania8.9%
|
7.1% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Centre County6.8%
Pennsylvania10.1%
|
6.8% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Centre County12.2%
Pennsylvania13.8%
|
12.2% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Centre County14.2%
Pennsylvania11.4%
|
14.2% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Centre County12.5%
Pennsylvania10.9%
|
12.5% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Centre County6.4%
Pennsylvania5.8%
|
6.4% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Centre County9.6%
Pennsylvania6.1%
|
9.6% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Centre County4.2%
Pennsylvania2.7%
|
4.2% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Centre County2.3%
Pennsylvania1.4%
|
2.3% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Centre County7.6%
Pennsylvania7.6%
|
7.6% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Centre County7.8%
Pennsylvania6.9%
|
7.8% |
Centre County Pennsylvania Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Centre County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.4% across Pennsylvania. Early starts are less common than in Pennsylvania: 9.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush looks much like Pennsylvania's: 45.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (31.6%) 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 Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Centre County | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 8:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 8:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 8:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 8:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Centre County were on the road by 8:01 AM, 2 minutes later than in 2009 (8:00 AM). That goes against the trend across Pennsylvania, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Centre County now leave 23 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Centre County in the whole series.
How does Centre County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Centre County | Pennsylvania | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 17.4 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 15.3% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 9.0% | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Centre County is 17.4 minutes, shorter than the 22.4 minutes in Pennsylvania.
3.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.6% in Pennsylvania. 9.0% commute by walking, higher than the 3.2% in Pennsylvania.
Centre County, PA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Centre County, PA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 158,476 residents against a local median of 37,796. The measure that sets Centre County, PA apart most is work from home: 15.3%, 100% above the local median of 7.6%.
The counties themselves spread 7.7% on work from home, so Centre County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Centre County, PA has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre County, PA | 158,476 | 17.4 min #2/6 | 15.3% #1/6 | 8:01 AM #6/6 |
| Clinton County, PA | 37,796 | 17.6 min | 9.2% | 7:18 AM |
| Mifflin County, PA | 46,041 | 18.8 min | 6.6% | 7:18 AM |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 43,653 | 25.9 min | 7.6% | 7:19 AM |
| Juniata County, PA | 23,379 | 23.5 min | 9.5% | 6:57 AM |
| Cameron County, PA | 4,427 | 11.4 min | 1.8% | 7:17 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Is commuting expensive in Centre County, Pennsylvania?
Commuters here spend an estimated 145 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,484 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 08:00 AM – 08:29 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 (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).