Commuting in Franklin County, Pennsylvania: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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How much time do drivers in Franklin County spend on the road daily?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:29 PM
Commute Time Burden in Franklin County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Franklin County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 176 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 6% less time on the road than the Pennsylvania average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 1.2 minutes.
Franklin County holds about 1.2% of Pennsylvania's population but accounts for roughly 1.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Franklin County would save about 70 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,183 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)
Franklin County
21.1 min
42.3 min
176 hrs/yr
$5,459
1,174
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
21.1
minutes to get to work in
Franklin County.
That's 6% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 10.0% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Franklin County
Car:
86.0%
Worked at Home:
10.0%
Walked:
2.6%
Other:
0.8%
Bicycle:
0.2%
Taxi:
0.2%
Public Transportation:
0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Public transit is unusually rare in Franklin County: 25.8 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.1% vs 3.6%).
Commute Mode Trends in Franklin County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Franklin 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
Taxi
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
2009
91.9%
3.7%
3.0%
0.8%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
2010
91.9%
3.9%
2.8%
0.6%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
2011
92.0%
4.0%
2.7%
0.6%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
2012
92.4%
3.8%
2.7%
0.4%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
2013
92.6%
3.7%
2.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2014
92.8%
3.7%
2.4%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2015
93.0%
3.4%
2.4%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
2016
92.9%
3.7%
2.3%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2017
92.9%
3.8%
2.3%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2018
92.3%
4.3%
2.2%
0.7%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2019
92.1%
4.3%
2.2%
0.9%
0.0%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
2020
90.1%
5.7%
2.7%
1.0%
0.1%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
2021
89.1%
6.6%
2.6%
1.0%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2022
87.3%
8.0%
2.7%
1.4%
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
2023
86.4%
8.9%
3.0%
1.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2024
86.0%
10.0%
2.6%
0.8%
0.2%
0.2%
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 93.0%. Overall it fell from 91.9% in 2009 to 86.0% in 2024, down 5.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Franklin County: its share of workers rose from 3.7% in 2009 to 10.0% in 2024, up 6.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Commute Start Times in Franklin County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Franklin County?
The bars show when commuters in Franklin 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 AMFranklin County8.8%Pennsylvania5.3%
8.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMFranklin County6.5%Pennsylvania3.9%
6.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMFranklin County7.6%Pennsylvania5.3%
7.6%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMFranklin County9.5%Pennsylvania8.9%
9.5%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMFranklin County10.9%Pennsylvania10.1%
10.9%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMFranklin County13.6%Pennsylvania13.8%
13.6%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMFranklin County10.4%Pennsylvania11.4%
10.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMFranklin County8.1%Pennsylvania10.9%
8.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMFranklin County3.3%Pennsylvania5.8%
3.3%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMFranklin County3.4%Pennsylvania6.1%
3.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMFranklin County1.9%Pennsylvania2.7%
1.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMFranklin County1.0%Pennsylvania1.4%
1.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMFranklin County7.6%Pennsylvania7.6%
7.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMFranklin County7.5%Pennsylvania6.9%
7.5%
Franklin CountyPennsylvaniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Franklin County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.8% across Pennsylvania. Early starts are more common than in Pennsylvania: 22.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Pennsylvania: 42.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.4%) 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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
Franklin County
Pennsylvania
United States
2009
7:19 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:20 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:21 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:22 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:23 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:24 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:23 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:22 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:20 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:20 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:21 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:17 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:16 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:16 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:18 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:15 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Franklin County were on the road by 7:15 AM, 4 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:19 AM). The shift is sharper than across Pennsylvania, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Franklin County now leave 23 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 Franklin County has moved 6 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Franklin County in the whole series.
How does Franklin County's commute time compare?
Metric
Franklin County
Pennsylvania
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
21.1 min
22.4 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
06:30 AM – 06:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
10.0%
15.6%
15.0%
Walked
2.6%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
3.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Franklin County is 21.1 minutes, shorter than the 22.4 minutes in Pennsylvania.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.6% in Pennsylvania. 2.6% commute by walking, lower than the 3.2% in Pennsylvania.
Franklin County, PA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Franklin County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 157,379 residents against a local median of 106,097. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Franklin County, PA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is work from home, 15% below the local median at 10.0% against 11.7%. Franklin County, PA has the 4th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
Is commuting expensive in Franklin County, Pennsylvania?
Commuters here spend an estimated 176 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,459 at a typical national wage. That's 6% less than the typical Pennsylvania commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Franklin County, Pennsylvania?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How common is public transit use in Franklin County, Pennsylvania?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% 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).