Yakima County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Compare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Yakima County.

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You 8/20/26, 12:35 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Yakima County?
Map AI 8/20/26, 12:35 PM

Commute Time Burden in Yakima County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Yakima County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 144 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.

That is 23% less time on the road than the Washington average of 22.6 minutes each way, a difference of 5.3 minutes.

Yakima County holds about 3.3% of Washington's population but accounts for roughly 2.5% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Yakima County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,790 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)
Yakima County 17.3 min 34.6 min 144 hrs/yr $4,475 1,255
Washington 22.6 min 45.2 min 188 hrs/yr $5,842 1,525
United States 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 17.3 minutes to get to work in Yakima County. That's 23% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

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

Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 6.4% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 91.0% unusually high
  • Worked at Home: 6.4%
  • Walked: 1.3%
  • Other: 0.6%
  • Public Transportation: 0.3% unusually low
  • Bicycle: 0.3%
  • Motorcycle: 0.2%
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low

Car commuting in Yakima County is 24% higher than the Washington average (91.0% vs 73.4%).

Public Transportation commuting is unusually low in Yakima County: 13.2 times less than the Washington average (0.3% vs 4.0%).

Taxi commuting is unusually low in Yakima County: 8.2 times less than the Washington average (0.0% vs 0.1%).

How does Yakima County's commute time compare?

Metric Yakima County Washington US Average
Avg. Commute Time 17.3 min 22.6 min 22.5 min
Departure Window 07:30 AM – 07:59 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 6.4% 17.7% 13.4%
Walked 1.3% 3.1% 2.4%
Public Transit 0.3% 4.0% 3.5%

The average commute time in Yakima County is 17.3 minutes, shorter than the 22.6 minutes in Washington.

0.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 4.0% in Washington. 1.3% commute by walking, lower than the 3.1% in Washington.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Yakima County, Washington.

What is the financial impact of commuting in Yakima County, Washington?

Commuters here spend an estimated 144 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,475 at a typical national wage. That's 23% less than the typical Washington commuter spends.

What are the busiest morning travel hours in Yakima County, Washington?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Yakima 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 common is public transit use in Yakima County, Washington?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.3% of commuters use it versus 4.0% in Washington, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

How do commute times compare across 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).