Cottonwood Heights Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Cottonwood Heights, Utah: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Cottonwood Heights: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Cottonwood Heights spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 177 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 12% more time on the road than the Utah average of 18.9 minutes each way, a difference of 2.4 minutes.
Cottonwood Heights holds about 1.0% of Utah's population but accounts for roughly 1.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Cottonwood Heights would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,197 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Heights | 21.3 min | 42.5 min | 177 hrs/yr | $5,493 | 3,312 |
| Utah | 18.9 min | 37.8 min | 158 hrs/yr | $4,885 | 1,192 |
| 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.
Cottonwood Heights Commute Map
On average, it takes 21.3 minutes to get to work in Cottonwood Heights. That's 5% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 25.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Cottonwood Heights
- Car: 69.9%
- Worked at Home: 25.1%
- Walked: 2.7%
- Other: 1.0%
- Public Transportation: 1.0%
- Bicycle: 0.3%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Cottonwood Heights: 27164.5 times less than the Utah average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Cottonwood Heights: 50370858.2 times less than the Utah average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Cottonwood Heights, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Cottonwood Heights 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Walked | Public Transportation | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 88.5% | 5.6% | 2.7% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 89.1% | 5.4% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 89.0% | 5.3% | 3.0% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2012 | 90.0% | 4.4% | 3.0% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 2013 | 89.9% | 5.1% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2014 | 89.2% | 5.9% | 2.0% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2015 | 87.8% | 7.1% | 2.0% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| 2016 | 84.9% | 7.7% | 1.9% | 4.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2017 | 83.6% | 9.4% | 1.6% | 4.1% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.2% | 10.8% | 1.5% | 4.9% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.5% | 10.6% | 1.2% | 3.4% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 2020 | 80.3% | 13.2% | 1.6% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 78.9% | 16.4% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 75.8% | 20.1% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2023 | 72.7% | 22.9% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | 25.1% | 2.7% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2012 at 90.0%. Overall it fell from 88.5% in 2009 to 69.9% in 2024, down 18.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Cottonwood Heights: its share of workers rose from 5.6% in 2009 to 25.1% in 2024, up 19.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 14.5 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.1% to 1.0% of workers (down 1.1 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Cottonwood Heights
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Cottonwood Heights?
The bars show when commuters in Cottonwood Heights 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 Utah for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights5.0%
Utah4.8%
|
5.0% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Cottonwood Heights2.2%
Utah3.6%
|
2.2% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights4.1%
Utah5.1%
|
4.1% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Cottonwood Heights7.1%
Utah7.4%
|
7.1% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights7.5%
Utah8.4%
|
7.5% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Cottonwood Heights12.3%
Utah12.3%
|
12.3% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights11.3%
Utah12.5%
|
11.3% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Cottonwood Heights12.7%
Utah12.1%
|
12.7% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights9.5%
Utah7.4%
|
9.5% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights13.0%
Utah7.7%
|
13.0% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights4.4%
Utah3.2%
|
4.4% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Cottonwood Heights1.3%
Utah1.5%
|
1.3% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Cottonwood Heights6.9%
Utah7.7%
|
6.9% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Cottonwood Heights2.7%
Utah6.3%
|
2.7% |
Cottonwood Heights Utah Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Cottonwood Heights is 9:00-9:59 AM, when 13.0% of commuters leave home, compared with 7.7% across Utah. Early starts are less common than in Utah: 11.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.5% there. The morning rush looks much like Utah's: 43.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (28.3%) 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 Cottonwood Heights, 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 Cottonwood Heights 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 Cottonwood Heights next to Utah 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Cottonwood Heights | Utah | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:58 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:58 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:57 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:56 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:56 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:56 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:58 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:59 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 8:05 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 8:06 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 8:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 8:03 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 8:04 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:05 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:00 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:01 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Cottonwood Heights were on the road by 8:01 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:58 AM). Utah followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes later. Commuters in Cottonwood Heights now leave 23 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 Cottonwood Heights has moved 7 minutes earlier.
How does Cottonwood Heights's commute time compare?
| Metric | Cottonwood Heights | Utah | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 21.3 min | 18.9 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 25.1% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.7% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.0% | 1.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Cottonwood Heights is 21.3 minutes, longer than the 18.9 minutes in Utah.
1.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.6% in Utah. 2.7% commute by walking, higher than the 2.0% in Utah.
Cottonwood Heights, UT Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Cottonwood Heights, UT is the 3rd largest of the 4 cities compared here, 32,277 residents against a local median of 54,009. Cottonwood Heights, UT sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these cities turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is work from home, 8% above the local median at 25.1% against 23.2%. Cottonwood Heights, UT has the highest work from home of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Heights, UT | 32,277 | 21.3 min #3/4 | 25.1% #1/4 | 8:01 AM #2/4 |
| Holladay, UT | 31,175 | 20.5 min | 24.4% | 8:18 AM |
| Sandy, UT | 91,417 | 21.7 min | 22.1% | 8:02 AM |
| Millcreek, UT | 54,009 | 18.8 min | 23.2% | 7:59 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
Is living in Cottonwood Heights, Utah good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 177 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,493 at a typical national wage. That's 12% more than the typical Utah commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Cottonwood Heights, Utah?
Traffic peaks between 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. 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.
How much money can remote workers save in Cottonwood Heights, Utah?
About 25.1% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Cottonwood Heights would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,197 at the same national wage assumption used above.