West Valley City Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in West Valley City, 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 West Valley City: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in West Valley City spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 13% more time on the road than the Utah average of 18.9 minutes each way, a difference of 2.4 minutes.
West Valley City holds about 3.9% of Utah's population but accounts for roughly 4.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in West Valley City would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,203 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley City | 21.3 min | 42.6 min | 178 hrs/yr | $5,508 | 3,733 |
| 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.
West Valley City Commute Map
On average, it takes 21.3 minutes to get to work in West Valley City. That's 5% shorter 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 11.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in West Valley City
- Car: 84.2%
- Worked at Home: 11.9%
- Public Transportation: 1.8%
- Walked: 1.1%
- Other: 0.5%
- Bicycle: 0.3%
- Taxi: 0.1%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in West Valley City: 3.0 times less than the Utah average (0.1% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in West Valley City, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in West Valley City 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 | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 91.3% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 91.6% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 92.0% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.3% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2013 | 91.9% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2014 | 92.1% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2015 | 91.9% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2016 | 91.8% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.3% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 91.5% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 91.9% | 3.6% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 91.3% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 1.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 89.3% | 6.8% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 88.1% | 8.1% | 2.1% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 86.2% | 10.0% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2024 | 84.2% | 11.9% | 1.8% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 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 2012 at 92.3%. Overall it fell from 91.3% in 2009 to 84.2% in 2024, down 7.1 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in West Valley City: its share of workers rose from 2.9% in 2009 to 11.9% in 2024, up 9.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 3.6% to 1.8% of workers (down 1.8 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2017 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in West Valley City
What Time Do People Leave for Work in West Valley City?
The bars show when commuters in West Valley City 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
West Valley City5.5%
Utah4.8%
|
5.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
West Valley City5.4%
Utah3.6%
|
5.4% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
West Valley City6.7%
Utah5.1%
|
6.7% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
West Valley City8.9%
Utah7.4%
|
8.9% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
West Valley City9.6%
Utah8.4%
|
9.6% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
West Valley City11.5%
Utah12.3%
|
11.5% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
West Valley City8.9%
Utah12.5%
|
8.9% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
West Valley City10.6%
Utah12.1%
|
10.6% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
West Valley City5.2%
Utah7.4%
|
5.2% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
West Valley City5.7%
Utah7.7%
|
5.7% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
West Valley City3.8%
Utah3.2%
|
3.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
West Valley City1.3%
Utah1.5%
|
1.3% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
West Valley City8.7%
Utah7.7%
|
8.7% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
West Valley City8.2%
Utah6.3%
|
8.2% |
West Valley City Utah Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in West Valley City is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 11.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.3% across Utah. Early starts are more common than in Utah: 17.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.5% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Utah: 40.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.3% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (27.7%) 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 West Valley City, 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 West Valley City 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 West Valley City 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 | West Valley City | Utah | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:30 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:29 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:30 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:30 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:29 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:28 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:28 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:31 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:32 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:33 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:32 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:35 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:35 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:37 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:37 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:38 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in West Valley City were on the road by 7:38 AM, 8 minutes later than in 2009 (7:30 AM). The shift is sharper than across Utah, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in West Valley City now leave at about the same time as the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in West Valley City has moved 7 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for West Valley City in the whole series.
How does West Valley City's commute time compare?
| Metric | West Valley City | Utah | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 21.3 min | 18.9 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 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 | 11.9% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.1% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 1.8% | 1.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in West Valley City is 21.3 minutes, longer than the 18.9 minutes in Utah.
1.8% commute by public transit, higher than the 1.6% in Utah. 1.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Utah.
West Valley City, UT Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
West Valley City, UT is the 2nd largest of the 6 cities compared here, 133,435 residents against a local median of 61,499. The measure that sets West Valley City, UT apart most is work from home: 11.9%, 27% below the local median of 16.2%.
The cities themselves spread 9.9% on work from home, so West Valley City, UT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. West Valley City, UT has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley City, UT | 133,435 | 21.3 min #4/6 | 11.9% #5/6 | 7:38 AM #3/6 |
| Kearns, UT | 34,302 | 22.9 min | 10.5% | 7:14 AM |
| Taylorsville, UT | 61,499 | 20.2 min | 14.6% | 7:33 AM |
| West Jordan, UT | 115,866 | 22.9 min | 19.2% | 7:41 AM |
| South Salt Lake, UT | 27,794 | 18.3 min | 16.2% | 7:59 AM |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 213,141 | 17.4 min | 20.3% | 8:11 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in West Valley City, Utah.
Is commuting expensive in West Valley City, Utah?
Commuters here spend an estimated 178 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,508 at a typical national wage. That's 13% more than the typical Utah commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in West Valley City, Utah?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in West Valley City, 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.