South Carolina Commute Time Map & Patterns

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You 8/20/26, 6:06 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in South Carolina?
Map AI 8/20/26, 6:06 PM

Commute Time Burden in South Carolina: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in South Carolina spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.

That is 1% less time on the road than the US average of 22.5 minutes each way, a difference of 0.2 minutes.

South Carolina holds about 1.6% of US's population and accounts for roughly 1.6% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in South Carolina would save about 74 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,296 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)
South Carolina 22.2 min 44.4 min 185 hrs/yr $5,740 1,499
US 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: South Carolina Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in South Carolina
  1. Greenwood County (16.5 min)
  2. Sumter County (18.1 min)
  3. Florence County (18.4 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in South Carolina
  1. McCormick County (33.3 min)
  2. Fairfield County (31.2 min)
  3. Allendale County (30.5 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

On average, it takes 22.2 minutes to get to work in South Carolina. That's 1% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM , followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM .

Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 10.0% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 86.3%
  • Worked at Home: 10.0%
  • Walked: 1.7%
  • Other: 1.2%
  • Public Transportation: 0.4% unusually low
  • Bicycle: 0.2%
  • Taxi: 0.2%
  • Motorcycle: 0.1%

Public Transportation commuting is unusually low in South Carolina: 8.1 times less than the US average (0.4% vs 3.5%).

How does South Carolina's commute time compare?

Metric South Carolina US Average
Avg. Commute Time 22.2 min 22.5 min
Work From Home 10.0% 13.4%
Walked 1.7% 2.4%
Public Transit 0.4% 3.5%

The average commute time in South Carolina is about the same as in US.

0.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.5% in US. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 2.4% in US.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in South Carolina.

Is living in South Carolina good for avoiding long commute costs?

Commuters here spend an estimated 185 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,740 at a typical national wage. That's 1% less than the typical US commuter spends.

When is peak congestion during the morning commute in South Carolina?

Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in South Carolina. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Is public transportation a realistic commute option in South Carolina?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.4% of commuters use it versus 3.5% in US, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

How do commute times compare across counties in South Carolina?

Among counties in South Carolina, the shortest average commutes are in Greenwood County (16.5 min), Sumter County (18.1 min), Florence County (18.4 min). The longest are in McCormick County (33.3 min), Fairfield County (31.2 min), Allendale County (30.5 min).