Commuting in King 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, 1:15 PM
Is the commute in King County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 1:15 PM
Commute Time Burden in King County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in King County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 212 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 14% more time on the road than the Washington average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 3.1 minutes.
King County holds about 29.2% of Washington's population but accounts for roughly 33.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in King County would save about 85 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,630 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)
King County
25.4 min
50.9 min
212 hrs/yr
$6,574
3,231
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
25.4
minutes to get to work in
King County.
That's 14% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 84% of counties in Washington
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 29.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in King County
Car:
57.4%unusually low
Worked at Home:
29.1%
Public Transportation:
6.8%
Walked:
4.3%
Bicycle:
1.1%
Other:
1.0%
Taxi:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Driving is 20% less common in King County than the Washington average (57.4% vs 71.9%).
Commute Mode Trends in King County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in King 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
Public Transportation
Walked
Bicycle
Other
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
77.3%
5.3%
10.9%
4.2%
1.2%
0.6%
0.1%
0.5%
2010
76.8%
5.4%
11.0%
4.4%
1.3%
0.6%
0.1%
0.5%
2011
76.6%
5.5%
11.0%
4.5%
1.3%
0.6%
0.1%
0.4%
2012
76.1%
5.8%
11.0%
4.5%
1.5%
0.7%
0.1%
0.4%
2013
75.5%
5.9%
11.4%
4.5%
1.5%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
2014
74.7%
6.1%
11.8%
4.7%
1.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
2015
74.3%
6.1%
12.1%
4.7%
1.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.4%
2016
73.2%
6.3%
12.6%
5.0%
1.7%
0.7%
0.1%
0.4%
2017
72.6%
6.5%
13.1%
5.1%
1.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
2018
71.6%
6.7%
13.5%
5.4%
1.6%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
2019
71.1%
6.9%
13.7%
5.5%
1.6%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
2020
67.6%
11.9%
12.5%
5.3%
1.4%
0.8%
0.3%
0.2%
2021
63.9%
18.0%
10.7%
4.8%
1.2%
0.9%
0.2%
0.2%
2022
60.9%
22.6%
9.3%
4.6%
1.2%
0.9%
0.2%
0.2%
2023
59.1%
26.2%
8.0%
4.3%
1.1%
1.0%
0.2%
0.1%
2024
57.4%
29.1%
6.8%
4.3%
1.1%
1.0%
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 77.3% in 2009 to 57.4% in 2024, down 19.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 15 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in King County: its share of workers rose from 5.3% in 2009 to 29.1% in 2024, up 23.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 22.2 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 10.9% to 6.8% of workers (down 4.1 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 5.5% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 4.3%.
Commute Start Times in King County
🛌Hitting SnoozeThe biggest shift to later mornings among Washington's 39 counties: the typical start is 15 minutes later than in 2009.
🦉Night OwlThe 2nd-latest start among Washington's 39 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:00 AM.
😴Sleeping InThe 2nd-highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Washington's 39 counties: 29.1% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in King County?
The bars show when commuters in King 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 AMKing County5.1%Washington7.1%
5.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMKing County3.5%Washington4.7%
3.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMKing County4.0%Washington5.8%
4.0%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMKing County6.7%Washington8.6%
6.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMKing County8.0%Washington9.5%
8.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMKing County11.9%Washington12.4%
11.9%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMKing County10.8%Washington11.0%
10.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMKing County13.1%Washington10.2%
13.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMKing County7.8%Washington5.5%
7.8%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMKing County11.1%Washington7.5%
11.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMKing County4.5%Washington3.5%
4.5%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMKing County2.0%Washington1.7%
2.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMKing County6.8%Washington6.9%
6.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMKing County4.7%Washington5.6%
4.7%
King CountyWashingtonSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in King County is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 13.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 10.2% across Washington. Early starts are less common than in Washington: 12.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.6% there. The morning rush looks much like Washington's: 43.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.1% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (29.1%) 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 King 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 King 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 King 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
King County
Washington
United States
2009
7:45 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:46 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:47 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:48 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:50 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:50 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:50 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:50 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:50 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:51 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:51 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:52 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:53 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:54 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:57 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2024
8:00 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in King County were on the road by 8:00 AM, 15 minutes later than in 2009 (7:45 AM). The shift is sharper than across Washington, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in King County now leave 22 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in King County has moved 9 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for King County in the whole series.
How does King County's commute time compare?
Metric
King County
Washington
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
25.4 min
22.4 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
29.1%
19.8%
15.0%
Walked
4.3%
3.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
6.8%
3.4%
3.2%
The average commute time in King County is 25.4 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in Washington.
6.8% commute by public transit, higher than the 3.4% in Washington. 4.3% commute by walking, higher than the 3.0% in Washington.
King County, WA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
King County, WA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 2,275,758 residents against a local median of 276,921. The measure that sets King County, WA apart most is work from home: 29.1%, 107% above the local median of 14.1%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 25.4 min against a local median of 21.8 min, 17% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 17% above the local median it puts King County, WA at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within 7.8% of each other on work from home, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and King County, WA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. King County, WA has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in King County, Washington.
How much does the average commute cost workers in King County, Washington?
Commuters here spend an estimated 212 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,574 at a typical national wage. That's 14% more than the typical Washington commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in King County, Washington?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in King County, Washington. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How much time do residents in King County, Washington save by working from home?
About 29.1% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in King County would save about 85 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,630 at the same national wage assumption used above.
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).