Commuting in York 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, 5:22 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in York County?
Map AI9/24/26, 5:22 PM
Commute Time Burden in York County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in York County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the Pennsylvania average of 22.4 minutes each way.
York County holds about 3.6% of Pennsylvania's population and accounts for roughly 3.6% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in York County would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,319 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)
York County
22.4 min
44.9 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,797
1,522
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
22.4
minutes to get to work in
York County.
That's about the same as the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 12.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in York County
Car:
84.2%
Worked at Home:
12.4%
Walked:
1.6%
Other:
0.8%
Public Transportation:
0.6%unusually low
Bicycle:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in York County: 5.6 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.6% vs 3.6%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in York County: 3.0 times less than the Pennsylvania average (0.1% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in York County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in York 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
92.9%
2.9%
2.1%
0.6%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.3%
2010
92.8%
3.2%
2.0%
0.6%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.2%
2011
92.6%
3.3%
2.0%
0.6%
1.0%
0.3%
0.0%
0.2%
2012
92.8%
3.2%
1.9%
0.7%
0.9%
0.3%
0.0%
0.3%
2013
92.5%
3.3%
2.0%
0.7%
0.9%
0.3%
0.0%
0.3%
2014
92.7%
3.3%
1.9%
0.7%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
0.3%
2015
92.7%
3.2%
2.0%
0.7%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
0.3%
2016
92.9%
3.2%
1.9%
0.6%
0.8%
0.2%
0.0%
0.3%
2017
92.9%
3.4%
1.8%
0.5%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
0.3%
2018
93.0%
3.6%
1.6%
0.4%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2019
93.0%
3.7%
1.5%
0.4%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2020
91.1%
5.8%
1.4%
0.5%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2021
89.2%
7.4%
1.5%
0.6%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2022
87.6%
9.1%
1.4%
0.7%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2023
85.9%
10.5%
1.5%
0.8%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2024
84.2%
12.4%
1.6%
0.8%
0.6%
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 2018 at 93.0%. Overall it fell from 92.9% in 2009 to 84.2% in 2024, down 8.7 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in York County: its share of workers rose from 2.9% in 2009 to 12.4% in 2024, up 9.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.1% to 1.6% of workers (down 0.5 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in York County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in York County?
The bars show when commuters in York 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 AMYork County7.4%Pennsylvania5.3%
7.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMYork County5.0%Pennsylvania3.9%
5.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMYork County6.8%Pennsylvania5.3%
6.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMYork County11.3%Pennsylvania8.9%
11.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMYork County10.9%Pennsylvania10.1%
10.9%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMYork County13.8%Pennsylvania13.8%
13.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMYork County10.1%Pennsylvania11.4%
10.1%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMYork County8.2%Pennsylvania10.9%
8.2%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMYork County4.2%Pennsylvania5.8%
4.2%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMYork County4.0%Pennsylvania6.1%
4.0%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMYork County2.1%Pennsylvania2.7%
2.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMYork County1.3%Pennsylvania1.4%
1.3%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMYork County7.0%Pennsylvania7.6%
7.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMYork County7.9%Pennsylvania6.9%
7.9%
York CountyPennsylvaniaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in York County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.8% across Pennsylvania. Early starts are more common than in Pennsylvania: 19.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Pennsylvania: 43.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (22.3%) 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 York 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 York 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 York 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
York County
Pennsylvania
United States
2009
7:23 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:23 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:23 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:23 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:23 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:23 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:24 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:24 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:24 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:23 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:23 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
7:19 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:20 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:19 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in York County were on the road by 7:19 AM, 4 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:23 AM). The shift is sharper than across Pennsylvania, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in York County now leave 19 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 York County has moved 4 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for York County in the whole series.
How does York County's commute time compare?
Metric
York County
Pennsylvania
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
22.4 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
06:00 AM – 06:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
12.4%
15.6%
15.0%
Walked
1.6%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.6%
3.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in York County is about the same as in Pennsylvania.
0.6% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.6% in Pennsylvania. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 3.2% in Pennsylvania.
York County, PA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
York County, PA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 462,883 residents against a local median of 289,538. York County, PA's work from home, at 12.4%, runs 25% below the 16.5% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread 5.7% on work from home, so York County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. York County, PA has the 4th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in York County, Pennsylvania.
Is commuting expensive in York County, Pennsylvania?
Commuters here spend an estimated 187 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,797 at a typical national wage.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in York County, Pennsylvania?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in York County, Pennsylvania. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How common is public transit use in York County, Pennsylvania?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.6% 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).