Commuting in Davidson County, Tennessee: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:28 PM
How much time do drivers in Davidson County spend on the road daily?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:28 PM
Commute Time Burden in Davidson County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Davidson 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 188 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 1% more time on the road than the Tennessee average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 0.2 minutes.
Davidson County holds about 10.1% of Tennessee's population but accounts for roughly 10.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Davidson County would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,331 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)
Davidson County
22.6 min
45.1 min
188 hrs/yr
$5,827
2,581
Tennessee
22.4 min
44.8 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,785
1,225
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
22.6
minutes to get to work in
Davidson County.
That's 1% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 20.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Davidson County
Car:
74.7%
Worked at Home:
20.3%
Walked:
1.8%
Public Transportation:
1.4%unusually high
Other:
1.1%
Bicycle:
0.3%unusually high
Taxi:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Public transit is unusually common in Davidson County: 3.3 times more than the Tennessee average (1.4% vs 0.4%).
Biking is unusually common in Davidson County: 3.0 times more than the Tennessee average (0.3% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Davidson County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Davidson 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
Public Transportation
Other
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
90.6%
4.2%
1.8%
1.9%
1.1%
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
2010
90.4%
4.2%
1.8%
2.0%
0.9%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2011
90.0%
4.6%
1.8%
2.2%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2012
90.1%
4.5%
1.9%
2.1%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2013
90.1%
4.5%
1.9%
2.1%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2014
89.9%
4.7%
1.9%
2.2%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2015
89.9%
4.6%
2.0%
2.3%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2016
89.5%
5.1%
2.0%
2.2%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2017
89.0%
5.7%
2.0%
2.1%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2018
88.7%
5.8%
2.2%
2.1%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
87.8%
6.4%
2.3%
2.1%
0.8%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2020
84.6%
9.9%
2.3%
1.9%
0.9%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2021
82.0%
12.8%
2.1%
1.6%
0.9%
0.2%
0.3%
0.1%
2022
79.1%
15.5%
2.1%
1.5%
1.0%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2023
76.5%
18.3%
1.9%
1.6%
1.1%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2024
74.7%
20.3%
1.8%
1.4%
1.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 90.6% in 2009 to 74.7% in 2024, down 15.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 9 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Davidson County: its share of workers rose from 4.2% in 2009 to 20.3% in 2024, up 16.1 percentage points. Most of that increase, 13.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 1.9% to 1.4% of workers (down 0.5 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Davidson County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Davidson County?
The bars show when commuters in Davidson 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 Tennessee for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMDavidson County3.9%Tennessee5.8%
3.9%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMDavidson County4.0%Tennessee4.4%
4.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMDavidson County3.9%Tennessee5.5%
3.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMDavidson County10.0%Tennessee9.9%
10.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMDavidson County8.7%Tennessee10.1%
8.7%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMDavidson County14.6%Tennessee14.7%
14.6%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMDavidson County10.2%Tennessee11.5%
10.2%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMDavidson County12.6%Tennessee10.1%
12.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMDavidson County6.7%Tennessee4.5%
6.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMDavidson County7.7%Tennessee5.7%
7.7%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMDavidson County3.5%Tennessee2.5%
3.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMDavidson County1.4%Tennessee1.2%
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMDavidson County6.4%Tennessee6.8%
6.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMDavidson County6.4%Tennessee7.4%
6.4%
Davidson CountyTennesseeSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Davidson County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.7% across Tennessee. Early starts are less common than in Tennessee: 11.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.7% there. The morning rush looks much like Tennessee's: 46.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.4% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (25.5%) 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 Davidson 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 Davidson 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 Davidson County next to Tennessee 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
Davidson County
Tennessee
United States
2009
7:38 AM
7:30 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:38 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:39 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:39 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:38 AM
7:30 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:38 AM
7:30 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:37 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:36 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:35 AM
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:36 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:38 AM
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:39 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:41 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:44 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:42 AM
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:45 AM
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Davidson County were on the road by 7:45 AM, 7 minutes later than in 2009 (7:38 AM). Across Tennessee, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Davidson County now leave 7 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Davidson County has moved 7 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Davidson County in the whole series.
How does Davidson County's commute time compare?
Metric
Davidson County
Tennessee
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
22.6 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
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
20.3%
12.9%
15.0%
Walked
1.8%
1.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.4%
0.4%
3.2%
The average commute time in Davidson County is 22.6 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in Tennessee.
1.4% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.4% in Tennessee. 1.8% commute by walking, higher than the 1.2% in Tennessee.
Davidson County, TN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Davidson County, TN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 713,477 residents against a local median of 157,828. Where Davidson County, TN breaks from the counties next to it is one-way commute, sitting 26% below the local median of 30.5 min at 22.6 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 20.3% against a local median of 16.2%, 26% above it. The counties themselves spread 6.4 min on one-way commute, so Davidson County, TN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Davidson County, TN has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Davidson County, Tennessee.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Davidson County, Tennessee?
Commuters here spend an estimated 188 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,827 at a typical national wage. That's 1% more than the typical Tennessee commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Davidson County, Tennessee?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Davidson County, Tennessee. 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.
Do people use public transit in Davidson County, Tennessee?
Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 1.4% of commuters use it versus 0.4% in Tennessee, making it a realistic option for many workers.
How much time do residents in Davidson County, Tennessee save by working from home?
About 20.3% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Davidson County would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,331 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Which counties in Tennessee have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Tennessee, the shortest average commutes are in Dyer County (15.9 min), Henry County (16.7 min), Obion County (17.1 min). The longest are in Cannon County (33.3 min), Union County (33.2 min), Fayette County (33.1 min).