Commuting in Washington: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 11:43 AM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Washington?
Map AI9/24/26, 11:43 AM
Commute Time Burden in Washington: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Washington spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the US average of 22.4 minutes each way.
Washington holds about 2.3% of US's population and accounts for roughly 2.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Washington would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,314 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)
Washington
22.4 min
44.8 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,785
1,525
US
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
22.4
minutes to get to work in
Washington.
That's about the same as 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 19.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Washington
Car:
71.9%
Worked at Home:
19.8%
Public Transportation:
3.4%
Walked:
3.0%
Other:
1.0%
Bicycle:
0.6%
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Taxi:
< 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Washington, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Washington 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
Public Transportation
Walked
Other
Bicycle
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
84.0%
5.0%
5.5%
3.5%
0.7%
0.8%
0.4%
0.0%
2010
83.9%
5.1%
5.5%
3.5%
0.8%
0.8%
0.4%
0.0%
2011
83.6%
5.2%
5.6%
3.5%
0.8%
0.8%
0.4%
0.0%
2012
83.4%
5.3%
5.7%
3.5%
0.8%
0.9%
0.4%
0.0%
2013
83.2%
5.4%
5.8%
3.5%
0.8%
0.9%
0.3%
0.0%
2014
83.1%
5.4%
5.9%
3.5%
0.8%
0.9%
0.4%
0.0%
2015
82.9%
5.5%
6.0%
3.5%
0.8%
0.9%
0.4%
0.0%
2016
82.5%
5.6%
6.2%
3.6%
0.8%
0.9%
0.4%
0.1%
2017
82.3%
5.7%
6.3%
3.5%
0.8%
0.9%
0.3%
0.1%
2018
81.9%
5.9%
6.5%
3.6%
0.8%
0.9%
0.3%
0.1%
2019
81.6%
6.1%
6.6%
3.7%
0.8%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
2020
79.4%
9.0%
6.0%
3.6%
0.9%
0.8%
0.2%
0.1%
2021
77.0%
12.6%
5.2%
3.3%
0.9%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
2022
74.8%
15.4%
4.6%
3.2%
0.9%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
2023
73.4%
17.7%
4.0%
3.1%
1.0%
0.6%
0.2%
0.1%
2024
71.9%
19.8%
3.4%
3.0%
1.0%
0.6%
0.2%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 84.0% in 2009 to 71.9% in 2024, down 12.1 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 15 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Washington: its share of workers rose from 5.0% in 2009 to 19.8% in 2024, up 14.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 13.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 5.5% to 3.4% of workers (down 2.1 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Washington
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Washington?
The bars show when commuters in Washington 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 the U.S. for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMWashington7.1%The U.S.5.5%
7.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMWashington4.7%The U.S.4.0%
4.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMWashington5.8%The U.S.4.9%
5.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMWashington8.6%The U.S.8.7%
8.6%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMWashington9.5%The U.S.9.4%
9.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMWashington12.4%The U.S.14.4%
12.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMWashington11.0%The U.S.11.9%
11.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMWashington10.2%The U.S.11.5%
10.2%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMWashington5.5%The U.S.5.5%
5.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMWashington7.5%The U.S.6.8%
7.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMWashington3.5%The U.S.3.1%
3.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMWashington1.7%The U.S.1.5%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMWashington6.9%The U.S.6.8%
6.9%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMWashington5.6%The U.S.6.1%
5.6%
WashingtonThe U.S.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Washington is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 12.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.4% across the U.S.. Early starts are more common than in the U.S.: 17.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.4% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in the U.S.: 43.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (25.1%) 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 Washington, 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 Washington 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 Washington next to 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
Washington
United States
2009
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Washington were on the road by 7:35 AM, 2 minutes later than in 2009 (7:33 AM). Commuters in Washington now leave 3 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 Washington has moved 3 minutes later.
How does Washington's commute time compare?
Metric
Washington
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
22.4 min
22.4 min
Work From Home
19.8%
15.0%
Walked
3.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
3.4%
3.2%
The average commute time in Washington is about the same as in US.
3.4% commute by public transit, higher than the 3.2% in US. 3.0% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in US.
Washington is the 2nd largest of the 6 states compared here, 7,801,159 residents against a local median of 3,183,702. The measure that sets Washington apart most is work from home: 19.8%, 49% above the local median of 13.3%.
The states themselves spread 7.0% on work from home, so Washington sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Washington has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Washington?
Commuters here spend an estimated 187 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,785 at a typical national wage.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Washington?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in 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.
How much money can remote workers save in Washington?
About 19.8% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Washington would save about 75 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,314 at the same national wage assumption used above.
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).