Commuting in Mercer 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, 8:08 PM
Is the commute in Mercer County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:08 PM
Commute Time Burden in Mercer County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Mercer 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.
Mercer County holds about 0.8% of Pennsylvania's population but accounts for roughly 0.7% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Mercer County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,798 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)
Mercer County
17.4 min
34.8 min
145 hrs/yr
$4,495
578
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
17.4
minutes to get to work in
Mercer County.
That's 22% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 88% of counties in Pennsylvania
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 9.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Mercer County
Car:
86.0%
Worked at Home:
9.3%
Walked:
2.9%
Other:
1.1%
Taxi:
0.3%
Bicycle:
0.2%
Public Transportation:
0.2%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Public transit is unusually rare in Mercer County: 20.0 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.2% vs 3.6%).
Commute Mode Trends in Mercer County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Mercer 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
Public Transportation
Bicycle
Motorcycle
2009
90.5%
5.4%
2.8%
0.8%
0.0%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2010
90.5%
5.6%
2.5%
0.9%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2011
90.7%
5.3%
2.6%
0.9%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2012
90.3%
5.3%
3.1%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2013
90.5%
5.0%
3.2%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2014
90.3%
4.7%
3.4%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
2015
90.3%
4.8%
3.5%
0.6%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2016
90.2%
4.8%
3.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2017
90.3%
4.9%
3.3%
0.8%
0.1%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2018
90.0%
4.9%
3.6%
0.9%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
90.4%
4.6%
3.4%
1.0%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2020
90.4%
4.9%
3.2%
1.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2021
89.3%
5.8%
3.2%
1.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2022
88.2%
6.7%
3.2%
1.4%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
87.7%
7.8%
2.8%
1.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2024
86.0%
9.3%
2.9%
1.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2011 at 90.7%. Overall it fell from 90.5% in 2009 to 86.0% in 2024, down 4.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 4 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Mercer County: its share of workers rose from 5.4% in 2009 to 9.3% in 2024, up 3.9 percentage points. Most of that increase, 4.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Commute Start Times in Mercer County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Mercer County?
The bars show when commuters in Mercer 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 AMMercer County5.7%Pennsylvania5.3%
5.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMMercer County3.9%Pennsylvania3.9%
3.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMMercer County5.8%Pennsylvania5.3%
5.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMMercer County8.9%Pennsylvania8.9%
8.9%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMMercer County9.8%Pennsylvania10.1%
9.8%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMMercer County13.0%Pennsylvania13.8%
13.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMMercer County14.2%Pennsylvania11.4%
14.2%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMMercer County9.9%Pennsylvania10.9%
9.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMMercer County5.4%Pennsylvania5.8%
5.4%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMMercer County4.1%Pennsylvania6.1%
4.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMMercer County2.1%Pennsylvania2.7%
2.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMMercer County1.1%Pennsylvania1.4%
1.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMMercer County9.0%Pennsylvania7.6%
9.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMMercer County7.1%Pennsylvania6.9%
7.1%
Mercer CountyPennsylvaniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Mercer County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.4% across Pennsylvania. Early starts are more common than in Pennsylvania: 15.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush looks much like Pennsylvania's: 46.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (23.4%) 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Mercer County
Pennsylvania
United States
2009
7:41 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:43 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:39 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Mercer County were on the road by 7:36 AM, 5 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:41 AM). The shift is sharper than across Pennsylvania, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Mercer County now leave 2 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 Mercer County has moved 3 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Mercer County in the whole series.
How does Mercer County's commute time compare?
Metric
Mercer 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
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
9.3%
15.6%
15.0%
Walked
2.9%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
3.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Mercer County is 17.4 minutes, shorter than the 22.4 minutes in Pennsylvania.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.6% in Pennsylvania. 2.9% commute by walking, lower than the 3.2% in Pennsylvania.
Mercer County, PA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Mercer County, PA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 109,257 residents against a local median of 85,016. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Mercer County, PA an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 13% below the local median at 17.4 min against 20.1 min. Mercer County, PA has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
Is living in Mercer County, Pennsylvania good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 145 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,495 at a typical national wage. That's 22% less than the typical Pennsylvania commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Mercer County, Pennsylvania?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Mercer 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 Mercer County, Pennsylvania?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% 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).