Pricing
Map Drive-Time Zone10-min drive time • PDF report

Essex County Commute Time Map & Patterns

Help

Commuting in Essex County, Vermont: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 8:06 PM
Is the commute in Essex County longer than the national average?
Map AI 9/24/26, 8:06 PM

Commute Time Burden in Essex County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Essex County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 15% more time on the road than the Vermont average of 20.5 minutes each way, a difference of 3.0 minutes.

Essex County holds about 0.9% of Vermont's population but accounts for roughly 1.1% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Essex County would save about 78 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,432 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)
Essex County 23.5 min 47.1 min 196 hrs/yr $6,079 444
Vermont 20.5 min 41.0 min 171 hrs/yr $5,295 718
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: Vermont Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Vermont
  1. Bennington County (16.5 min)
  2. Windham County (18.1 min)
  3. Rutland County (18.4 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Vermont
  1. Grand Isle County (32.0 min)
  2. Franklin County (26.5 min)
  3. Essex County (23.5 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Essex County
Click a county to open it Explore the map →
Average commute time

On average, it takes 23.5 minutes to get to work in Essex County. That's 5% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Among the 3 slowest counties in Vermont

The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 10.1% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Essex County

  • Car: 86.5%
  • Worked at Home: 10.1%
  • Walked: 2.7%
  • Other: 0.8%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low

Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Essex County, versus 0.1% in Vermont.

Public transit is essentially absent in Essex County, versus 0.8% in Vermont.

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Essex County, versus 0.0% in Vermont.

Biking is essentially absent in Essex County, versus 0.7% in Vermont.

Commute Mode Trends in Essex County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Essex 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 Other Public Transportation Taxi Motorcycle Bicycle
2009 89.9% 4.6% 4.5% 0.9% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
2010 88.2% 5.5% 5.3% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2011 88.0% 5.4% 5.5% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 0.1%
2012 88.7% 4.6% 5.2% 1.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 0.3%
2013 89.4% 4.7% 5.1% 0.3% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 0.3%
2014 89.0% 6.0% 4.2% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2%
2015 89.1% 7.3% 2.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3%
2016 90.3% 6.5% 2.3% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2%
2017 89.7% 6.2% 3.0% 0.8% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
2018 88.8% 7.0% 3.0% 0.8% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
2019 89.3% 6.2% 3.2% 0.7% 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2020 90.4% 5.1% 3.7% 0.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2021 88.4% 5.7% 5.1% 0.6% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2022 87.8% 7.1% 4.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2023 87.3% 8.4% 3.2% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2024 86.5% 10.1% 2.7% 0.8% 0.0% 0.0% 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 2020 at 90.4%. Overall it fell from 89.9% in 2009 to 86.5% in 2024, down 3.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 4 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Essex County: its share of workers rose from 4.6% in 2009 to 10.1% in 2024, up 5.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.5% to 2.7% of workers (down 1.8 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Essex County

  • Dawn PatrolThe highest share of pre-6 AM departures among Vermont's 14 counties: 16.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Essex County?

The bars show when commuters in Essex 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 Vermont for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.

12:00-4:59 AM
6.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
6.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
4.0%
6:00-6:29 AM
7.6%
6:30-6:59 AM
15.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
15.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
15.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
7.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
2.4%
9:00-9:59 AM
3.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
5.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.8%
12:00-3:59 PM
6.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
2.7%

Essex County Vermont Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Essex County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 15.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.5% across Vermont. Early starts are more common than in Vermont: 16.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.8% there. The morning rush looks much like Vermont's: 53.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 54.7% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (19.9%) 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County next to Vermont 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 Essex County Vermont United States
2009 7:19 AM 7:35 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:19 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:20 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:22 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:19 AM 7:37 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:17 AM 7:36 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:16 AM 7:37 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:15 AM 7:37 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:13 AM 7:37 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:11 AM 7:36 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:09 AM 7:36 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:12 AM 7:36 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:14 AM 7:36 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:15 AM 7:37 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:13 AM 7:38 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:21 AM 7:38 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Essex County were on the road by 7:21 AM, 2 minutes later than in 2009 (7:19 AM). Vermont followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes later. Commuters in Essex County now leave 17 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 Essex County has moved 12 minutes later.

How does Essex County's commute time compare?

Metric Essex County Vermont US Average
Avg. Commute Time 23.5 min 20.5 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 10.1% 16.9% 15.0%
Walked 2.7% 4.4% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.8% 3.2%

The average commute time in Essex County is 23.5 minutes, longer than the 20.5 minutes in Vermont.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.8% in Vermont. 2.7% commute by walking, lower than the 4.4% in Vermont.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Essex County, VT Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Essex County, VT is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 5,970 residents against a local median of 30,464. Where Essex County, VT breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 19% below the local median of 12.5% at 10.1%.

The counties themselves spread 9.3% on work from home, so Essex County, VT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Essex County, VT has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Essex County, VT 5,970 23.5 min #6/6 10.1% #5/6 7:21 AM #4/6
Coos County, NH 31,270 17.5 min 8.0% 7:14 AM
Caledonia County, VT 30,464 21.3 min 15.1% 7:19 AM
Orleans County, VT 27,611 20.8 min 12.5% 7:20 AM
Grafton County, NH 92,112 17.5 min 17.2% 7:37 AM
Lamoille County, VT 26,137 21.8 min 12.3% 7:30 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Essex County, Vermont.

Is commuting expensive in Essex County, Vermont?

Commuters here spend an estimated 196 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,079 at a typical national wage. That's 15% more than the typical Vermont commuter spends.

What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Essex County, Vermont?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Essex County, Vermont. 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 Essex County, Vermont?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.8% in Vermont, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

Which counties in Vermont have the fastest and slowest commutes?

Among counties in Vermont, the shortest average commutes are in Bennington County (16.5 min), Windham County (18.1 min), Rutland County (18.4 min). The longest are in Grand Isle County (32.0 min), Franklin County (26.5 min), Essex County (23.5 min).