Sammamish Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Sammamish, Washington: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Sammamish: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Sammamish spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 233 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 25% more time on the road than the Washington average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 5.5 minutes.
Sammamish holds about 0.8% of Washington's population but accounts for roughly 1.0% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Sammamish would save about 93 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,885 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sammamish | 27.9 min | 55.8 min | 233 hrs/yr | $7,213 | 3,989 |
| 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.
Sammamish Commute Map
On average, it takes 27.9 minutes to get to work in Sammamish. That's 25% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM, followed by 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 39.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Sammamish
- Car: 54.1% unusually low
- Worked at Home: 39.9%
- Public Transportation: 2.7%
- Other: 1.6%
- Walked: 1.6%
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Sammamish: 83023.3 times less than the Washington average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Driving is 25% less common in Sammamish than the Washington average (54.1% vs 71.9%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Sammamish: 42444.1 times less than the Washington average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Biking is unusually rare in Sammamish: 6.8 times less than the Washington average (0.1% vs 0.6%).
Commute Mode Trends in Sammamish, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Sammamish 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 84.0% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | 7.6% | 5.6% | 1.9% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | 82.6% | 8.1% | 5.7% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2012 | 82.4% | 8.4% | 5.9% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.2% | 9.3% | 5.5% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | 9.8% | 5.5% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.7% | 10.2% | 5.9% | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 80.7% | 10.4% | 6.8% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | 10.7% | 7.6% | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | 9.8% | 8.6% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 79.5% | 10.1% | 8.5% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 72.4% | 17.1% | 7.5% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 66.0% | 25.2% | 5.9% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 60.4% | 31.6% | 4.9% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 56.9% | 36.1% | 3.7% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 54.1% | 39.9% | 2.7% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 54.1% in 2024, down 29.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Sammamish: its share of workers rose from 7.6% in 2009 to 39.9% in 2024, up 32.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 29.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 5.2% to 2.7% of workers (down 2.5 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Sammamish
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Sammamish?
The bars show when commuters in Sammamish 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 AM
Sammamish2.2%
Washington7.1%
|
2.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Sammamish2.8%
Washington4.7%
|
2.8% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Sammamish2.6%
Washington5.8%
|
2.6% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Sammamish3.9%
Washington8.6%
|
3.9% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Sammamish6.1%
Washington9.5%
|
6.1% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Sammamish12.9%
Washington12.4%
|
12.9% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Sammamish12.5%
Washington11.0%
|
12.5% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Sammamish16.2%
Washington10.2%
|
16.2% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Sammamish9.1%
Washington5.5%
|
9.1% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Sammamish14.6%
Washington7.5%
|
14.6% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Sammamish5.4%
Washington3.5%
|
5.4% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Sammamish1.6%
Washington1.7%
|
1.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Sammamish5.8%
Washington6.9%
|
5.8% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Sammamish4.4%
Washington5.6%
|
4.4% |
Sammamish Washington Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Sammamish is 8:00-8:29 AM, when 16.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 10.2% across Washington. Early starts are less common than in Washington: 7.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.6% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Washington: 47.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 43.1% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (31.7%) 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 Sammamish, 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 Sammamish 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 Sammamish 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Sammamish | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:47 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:48 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:52 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:49 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:51 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:52 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 8:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 8:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 8:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 8:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 8:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 8:07 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:13 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Sammamish were on the road by 8:13 AM, 26 minutes later than in 2009 (7:47 AM). The shift is sharper than across Washington, where the typical start moved 2 minutes later. Commuters in Sammamish now leave 35 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 Sammamish has moved 11 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Sammamish in the whole series.
How does Sammamish's commute time compare?
| Metric | Sammamish | Washington | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 27.9 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 | 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 39.9% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.6% | 3.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.7% | 3.4% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Sammamish is 27.9 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in Washington.
2.7% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.4% in Washington. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 3.0% in Washington.
Sammamish, WA Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Sammamish, WA is the 3rd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 59,678 residents against a local median of 48,489. The measure that sets Sammamish, WA apart most is one-way commute: 27.9 min, 25% above the local median of 22.3 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves spread 7.3 min on one-way commute, so Sammamish, WA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sammamish, WA has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sammamish, WA | 59,678 | 27.9 min #5/5 | 39.9% #2/5 | 8:13 AM #2/5 |
| Issaquah, WA | 24,985 | 23.6 min | 36.3% | 8:06 AM |
| Union Hill-Novelty Hill, WA | 23,529 | 25.9 min | 42.6% | 8:14 AM |
| Redmond, WA | 71,994 | 18.6 min | 37.8% | 8:29 AM |
| Bellevue, WA | 149,047 | 21.0 min | 35.0% | 8:19 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Sammamish, Washington.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Sammamish, Washington?
Commuters here spend an estimated 233 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,213 at a typical national wage. That's 25% more than the typical Washington commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Sammamish, Washington?
Traffic peaks between 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM in Sammamish, Washington. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How much money can remote workers save in Sammamish, Washington?
About 39.9% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Sammamish would save about 93 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,885 at the same national wage assumption used above.