Suffolk city Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Suffolk city, Virginia: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Suffolk city: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Suffolk city spend about 60 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 30% more time on the road than the Virginia average of 23.2 minutes each way, a difference of 7.0 minutes.
Suffolk city holds about 1.1% of Virginia's population but accounts for roughly 1.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Suffolk city would save about 101 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,121 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk city | 30.2 min | 60.4 min | 252 hrs/yr | $7,803 | 1,729 |
| Virginia | 23.2 min | 46.3 min | 193 hrs/yr | $5,986 | 1,531 |
| 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.
Commute Time Map: Virginia Counties
- Lexington city (10.6 min)
- Covington city (12.2 min)
- Norton city (13.1 min)
- Amelia County (43.7 min)
- Craig County (41.3 min)
- Buckingham County (41.3 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 30.2 minutes to get to work in Suffolk city. That's 35% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 76% of counties in Virginia
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 10.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Suffolk city
- Car: 86.7%
- Worked at Home: 10.7%
- Walked: 0.9%
- Other: 0.8%
- Taxi: 0.3%
- Public Transportation: 0.2% unusually low
- Motorcycle: 0.2%
- Bicycle: 0.2%
Public transit is unusually rare in Suffolk city: 11.6 times less than the Virginia average (0.2% vs 2.3%).
Commute Mode Trends in Suffolk city, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Suffolk 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 | Walked | Other | Taxi | Public Transportation | Motorcycle | Bicycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 94.6% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 94.6% | 2.4% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 94.5% | 2.6% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 95.1% | 2.5% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 94.9% | 2.6% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 94.4% | 2.6% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2015 | 94.2% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2016 | 94.0% | 3.2% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 94.1% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 94.1% | 3.7% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 92.5% | 5.4% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 90.5% | 7.1% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 89.5% | 7.9% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2023 | 87.9% | 9.3% | 1.2% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2024 | 86.7% | 10.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2012 at 95.1%. Overall it fell from 94.6% in 2009 to 86.7% in 2024, down 7.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Suffolk city: its share of workers rose from 2.0% in 2009 to 10.7% in 2024, up 8.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 7.0 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 1.0% to 0.2% of workers (down 0.8 percentage points).
Walking overtook public transit to become the 3rd most common choice in the 2011 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Suffolk city
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Suffolk city?
The bars show when commuters in Suffolk 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 Virginia for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Suffolk city7.2%
Virginia5.0%
|
7.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Suffolk city6.5%
Virginia4.0%
|
6.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Suffolk city8.9%
Virginia5.0%
|
8.9% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Suffolk city9.9%
Virginia8.7%
|
9.9% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Suffolk city10.8%
Virginia9.2%
|
10.8% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Suffolk city15.0%
Virginia14.2%
|
15.0% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Suffolk city10.7%
Virginia12.1%
|
10.7% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Suffolk city9.4%
Virginia12.1%
|
9.4% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Suffolk city4.2%
Virginia6.4%
|
4.2% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Suffolk city4.0%
Virginia7.2%
|
4.0% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Suffolk city1.7%
Virginia3.0%
|
1.7% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Suffolk city1.6%
Virginia1.4%
|
1.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Suffolk city5.2%
Virginia6.0%
|
5.2% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Suffolk city4.8%
Virginia5.7%
|
4.8% |
Suffolk city Virginia Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Suffolk city is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 15.0% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.2% across Virginia. Early starts are more common than in Virginia: 22.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.0% there. The morning rush looks much like Virginia's: 46.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.5% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (17.2%) 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk city next to Virginia 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 | Suffolk city | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:13 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:14 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:16 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:15 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:14 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:16 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:18 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:17 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:17 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:17 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:17 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:13 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:14 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:16 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:16 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Suffolk city were on the road by 7:13 AM, almost exactly the same as in 2009. Across Virginia, meanwhile, the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Suffolk city now leave 25 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 Suffolk city has moved 4 minutes earlier.
How does Suffolk city's commute time compare?
| Metric | Suffolk city | Virginia | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 30.2 min | 23.2 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 | 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 10.7% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 0.9% | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 0.2% | 2.3% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Suffolk city is 30.2 minutes, longer than the 23.2 minutes in Virginia.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.3% in Virginia. 0.9% commute by walking, lower than the 2.1% in Virginia.
Suffolk city, VA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
How Suffolk city, VA compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk city, VA | 98,796 | 30.2 min #2/3 | 10.7% #2/3 | 7:13 AM #2/3 |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 39,974 | 28.8 min | 11.2% | 7:16 AM |
| Gates County, NC | 10,369 | 35.9 min | 4.5% | 6:46 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Suffolk city, Virginia.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Suffolk city, Virginia?
Commuters here spend an estimated 252 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,803 at a typical national wage. That's 30% more than the typical Virginia commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Suffolk city, Virginia?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Suffolk city, Virginia. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Suffolk city, Virginia?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% of commuters use it versus 2.3% in Virginia, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Virginia?
Among counties in Virginia, the shortest average commutes are in Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min). The longest are in Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).