Commuting in Clark County, Washington: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:34 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Clark County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:34 PM
Commute Time Burden in Clark County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Clark County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 3% less time on the road than the Washington average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 0.7 minutes.
Clark County holds about 6.6% of Washington's population but accounts for roughly 6.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Clark County would save about 72 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,239 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)
Clark County
21.7 min
43.3 min
181 hrs/yr
$5,598
2,989
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.
On average, it takes
21.7
minutes to get to work in
Clark County.
That's 3% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 19.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Clark County
Car:
76.7%
Worked at Home:
19.1%
Walked:
1.7%
Public Transportation:
1.0%unusually low
Other:
1.0%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Clark County: 3.4 times less than the Washington average (1.0% vs 3.4%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Clark County: 3.6 times less than the Washington average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Clark County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Clark 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
Public Transportation
Other
Bicycle
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
88.7%
5.6%
1.6%
2.5%
0.9%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
2010
88.7%
5.8%
1.5%
2.4%
0.8%
0.6%
0.2%
0.0%
2011
88.6%
5.9%
1.6%
2.3%
0.8%
0.7%
0.2%
0.0%
2012
88.4%
6.0%
1.6%
2.5%
0.8%
0.6%
0.3%
0.0%
2013
88.3%
6.1%
1.6%
2.4%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2014
88.1%
6.1%
1.7%
2.4%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2015
88.0%
6.3%
1.8%
2.4%
0.7%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2016
87.9%
6.5%
1.9%
2.3%
0.7%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
2017
88.0%
6.6%
1.9%
2.2%
0.7%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2018
87.5%
7.0%
1.9%
2.2%
0.7%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2019
87.4%
7.4%
1.8%
2.1%
0.8%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2020
85.5%
9.5%
1.5%
2.0%
1.1%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2021
82.6%
12.6%
1.5%
1.7%
1.0%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
80.3%
15.1%
1.5%
1.4%
1.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2023
78.3%
17.3%
1.6%
1.2%
1.1%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2024
76.7%
19.1%
1.7%
1.0%
1.0%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 88.7% in 2009 to 76.7% in 2024, down 12.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Clark County: its share of workers rose from 5.6% in 2009 to 19.1% in 2024, up 13.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 11.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.5% to 1.0% of workers (down 1.5 percentage points).
Walking overtook public transit to become the 3rd most common choice in the 2022 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Clark County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Clark County?
The bars show when commuters in Clark 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
12:00-4:59 AMClark County7.2%Washington7.1%
7.2%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMClark County4.6%Washington4.7%
4.6%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMClark County6.3%Washington5.8%
6.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMClark County9.6%Washington8.6%
9.6%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMClark County9.6%Washington9.5%
9.6%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMClark County12.4%Washington12.4%
12.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMClark County10.2%Washington11.0%
10.2%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMClark County10.2%Washington10.2%
10.2%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMClark County5.0%Washington5.5%
5.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMClark County6.5%Washington7.5%
6.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMClark County2.7%Washington3.5%
2.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMClark County1.7%Washington1.7%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMClark County6.5%Washington6.9%
6.5%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMClark County7.4%Washington5.6%
7.4%
Clark CountyWashingtonSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Clark County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 12.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.4% across Washington. Early starts are about as common as in Washington: 18.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.6% there. The morning rush looks much like Washington's: 42.4% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.9%) 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 Clark 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 Clark 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 Clark 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
Clark County
Washington
United States
2009
7:28 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:29 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:29 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:30 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:33 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:34 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:34 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:33 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:32 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:30 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:29 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:26 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:28 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:27 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:30 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:31 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Clark County were on the road by 7:31 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:28 AM). Washington followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes later. Commuters in Clark County now leave 7 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 Clark County has moved 3 minutes later.
How does Clark County's commute time compare?
Metric
Clark County
Washington
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
21.7 min
22.4 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
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
19.1%
19.8%
15.0%
Walked
1.7%
3.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.0%
3.4%
3.2%
The average commute time in Clark County is about the same as in Washington.
1.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.4% in Washington. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 3.0% in Washington.
Clark County, WA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Clark County, WA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 516,710 residents against a local median of 112,357. Clark County, WA 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 counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is work from home, 10% above the local median at 19.1% against 17.4%. Clark County, WA has the 3rd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Clark County, Washington.
Is commuting expensive in Clark County, Washington?
Commuters here spend an estimated 181 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,598 at a typical national wage. That's 3% less than the typical Washington commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Clark County, Washington?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Clark County, Washington. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Clark County, Washington?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 1.0% of commuters use it versus 3.4% in Washington, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Washington?
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).