Washington Commute Time Map & Patterns

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You 8/20/26, 6:06 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Washington?
Map AI 8/20/26, 6:06 PM

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 188 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.

That is 1% more time on the road than the US average of 22.5 minutes each way, a difference of 0.1 minutes.

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 $2,337 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 22.6 min 45.2 min 188 hrs/yr $5,842 1,525
US 22.5 min 44.9 min 187 hrs/yr $5,803 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. Columbia County (11.6 min)
  2. Walla Walla County (12.0 min)
  3. San Juan County (12.7 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Washington
  1. Mason County (32.4 min)
  2. Wahkiakum County (30.7 min)
  3. Snohomish County (28.7 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

On average, it takes 22.6 minutes to get to work in Washington. That's 1% longer than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

Slower than 75% of states in US

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM , followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM .

Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 17.7% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 73.4%
  • Worked at Home: 17.7%
  • Public Transportation: 4.0%
  • Walked: 3.1%
  • Other: 1.0%
  • Bicycle: 0.6%
  • Motorcycle: 0.2%
  • Taxi: < 0.1%

How does Washington's commute time compare?

Metric Washington US Average
Avg. Commute Time 22.6 min 22.5 min
Work From Home 17.7% 13.4%
Walked 3.1% 2.4%
Public Transit 4.0% 3.5%

The average commute time in Washington is 22.6 minutes, longer than the 22.5 minutes in US.

4.0% commute by public transit, higher than the 3.5% in US. 3.1% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in US.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Washington.

What is the financial impact of commuting in Washington?

Commuters here spend an estimated 188 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,842 at a typical national wage. That's 1% more than the typical US commuter spends.

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 17.7% 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 $2,337 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 Columbia County (11.6 min), Walla Walla County (12.0 min), San Juan County (12.7 min). The longest are in Mason County (32.4 min), Wahkiakum County (30.7 min), Snohomish County (28.7 min).