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

Adams County Commute Time Map & Patterns

Help

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

You 9/24/26, 8:33 PM
Is the commute in Adams County longer than the national average?
Map AI 9/24/26, 8:33 PM

Commute Time Burden in Adams County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Adams County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 139 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 25% less time on the road than the Washington average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 5.7 minutes.

Adams County holds about 0.3% of Washington's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Adams County would save about 56 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,728 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)
Adams County 16.7 min 33.4 min 139 hrs/yr $4,320 365
Washington 22.4 min 44.8 min 187 hrs/yr $5,785 1,525
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: Washington Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Washington
  1. Walla Walla County (12.2 min)
  2. San Juan County (12.3 min)
  3. Asotin County (13.2 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Washington
  1. Mason County (32.0 min)
  2. Garfield County (28.4 min)
  3. Snohomish County (28.3 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

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

On average, it takes 16.7 minutes to get to work in Adams County. That's 25% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

The most common departure window is 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 6.0% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Adams County

  • Car: 86.4% unusually high
  • Worked at Home: 6.0% unusually low
  • Walked: 4.4%
  • Other: 2.1%
  • Public Transportation: 0.5% unusually low
  • Bicycle: 0.4%
  • Motorcycle: 0.3%
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low

Driving is 20% more common in Adams County than the Washington average (86.4% vs 71.9%).

Public transit is unusually rare in Adams County: 6.3 times less than the Washington average (0.5% vs 3.4%).

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Adams County, versus 0.1% in Washington.

Working from home is unusually rare in Adams County: 3.3 times less than the Washington average (6.0% vs 19.8%).

Commute Mode Trends in Adams County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Adams 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 Bicycle Motorcycle Taxi
2009 85.7% 5.5% 5.3% 2.2% 0.8% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0%
2010 85.3% 4.4% 5.9% 3.4% 0.7% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0%
2011 84.7% 5.2% 6.7% 2.9% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2012 85.9% 5.1% 5.7% 2.5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2013 88.1% 4.0% 4.7% 2.1% 0.6% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2014 90.2% 3.1% 3.2% 2.4% 0.7% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2015 89.2% 6.2% 2.3% 1.3% 0.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2016 90.1% 5.5% 2.5% 1.3% 0.2% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0%
2017 89.9% 5.7% 2.2% 1.8% 0.2% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2018 90.5% 5.6% 2.0% 1.6% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2019 90.6% 5.8% 2.1% 1.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2020 90.5% 5.9% 2.3% 1.0% 0.2% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2021 90.0% 5.3% 2.3% 2.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2022 89.4% 5.3% 3.2% 2.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2023 89.5% 4.7% 3.1% 1.8% 0.5% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0%
2024 86.4% 6.0% 4.4% 2.1% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0%

Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2019 at 90.6% and lowest in 2011 at 84.7%. Overall it rose from 85.7% in 2009 to 86.4% in 2024, up 0.7 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.

Working from home gained the most ground in Adams County: its share of workers rose from 5.5% in 2009 to 6.0% in 2024, up 0.5 percentage points.

Walking lost the most ground, falling from 5.3% to 4.4% of workers (down 0.9 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Adams County

  • Early BirdThe 2nd-earliest start among Washington's 39 counties: half of commuters are on the road by 6:55 AM.
  • Earlier AlarmsThe 2nd-biggest shift to earlier mornings among Washington's 39 counties: the typical start is 37 minutes earlier than in 2009.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Adams County?

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

12:00-4:59 AM
12.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
3.4%
5:30-5:59 AM
6.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
15.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
14.6%
7:00-7:29 AM
12.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
12.5%
8:00-8:29 AM
5.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
2.1%
9:00-9:59 AM
2.3%
10:00-10:59 AM
1.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
2.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
8.5%

Adams County Washington Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Adams County is 6:00-6:29 AM, when 15.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 8.6% across Washington. Early starts are more common than in Washington: 22.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.6% there. The morning rush looks much like Washington's: 44.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.1% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.1%) 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 Adams 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 Adams 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 Adams County next to Washington 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 Adams County Washington United States
2009 7:32 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:28 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:19 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:15 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:10 AM 7:35 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:09 AM 7:35 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:07 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:09 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:06 AM 7:33 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:02 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2019 6:58 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2020 6:55 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2021 6:58 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2022 6:55 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2023 6:56 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2024 6:55 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Adams County were on the road by 6:55 AM, 37 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:32 AM). That goes against the trend across Washington, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Adams County now leave 43 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 Adams County has moved 3 minutes earlier.

How does Adams County's commute time compare?

Metric Adams County Washington US Average
Avg. Commute Time 16.7 min 22.4 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 06:00 AM – 06:29 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 6.0% 19.8% 15.0%
Walked 4.4% 3.0% 2.4%
Public Transit 0.5% 3.4% 3.2%

The average commute time in Adams County is 16.7 minutes, shorter than the 22.4 minutes in Washington.

0.5% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.4% in Washington. 4.4% commute by walking, higher than the 3.0% in Washington.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Adams County, WA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Adams County, WA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 20,799 residents against a local median of 62,160. The measure that sets Adams County, WA apart most is work from home: 6.0%, 48% below the local median of 11.5%.

The counties themselves spread 4.9% on work from home, so Adams County, WA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Adams County, WA has the 6th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Adams County, WA 20,799 16.7 min #4/6 6.0% #6/6 6:55 AM #1/6
Franklin County, WA 98,902 18.6 min 8.1% 7:14 AM
Lincoln County, WA 11,488 22.5 min 13.0% 7:13 AM
Walla Walla County, WA 62,160 12.2 min 11.5% 7:41 AM
Grant County, WA 101,798 16.3 min 9.7% 7:10 AM
Columbia County, WA 4,012 13.6 min 11.9% 7:16 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Adams County, Washington.

Is living in Adams County, Washington good for avoiding long commute costs?

Commuters here spend an estimated 139 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,320 at a typical national wage. That's 25% less than the typical Washington commuter spends.

When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Adams County, Washington?

Traffic peaks between 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM in Adams County, Washington. 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.

How common is public transit use in Adams County, Washington?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.5% of commuters use it versus 3.4% in Washington, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

Which counties in Washington have the fastest and slowest commutes?

Among counties in Washington, the shortest average commutes are in Walla Walla County (12.2 min), San Juan County (12.3 min), Asotin County (13.2 min). The longest are in Mason County (32.0 min), Garfield County (28.4 min), Snohomish County (28.3 min).