Commuting in Waukesha County, Wisconsin: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 12:17 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Waukesha County?
Map AI9/24/26, 12:17 PM
Commute Time Burden in Waukesha County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Waukesha County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 14% more time on the road than the Wisconsin average of 18.8 minutes each way, a difference of 2.6 minutes.
Waukesha County holds about 7.0% of Wisconsin's population but accounts for roughly 7.9% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Waukesha County would save about 71 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,211 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)
Waukesha County
21.4 min
42.8 min
178 hrs/yr
$5,528
2,075
Wisconsin
18.8 min
37.5 min
156 hrs/yr
$4,846
811
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
21.4
minutes to get to work in
Waukesha County.
That's 5% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 75% of counties in Wisconsin
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 16.8% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Waukesha County
Car:
81.2%
Worked at Home:
16.8%
Walked:
1.0%
Other:
0.5%
Public Transportation:
0.2%unusually low
Bicycle:
0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Waukesha County: 4.8 times less than the Wisconsin average (0.2% vs 1.1%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Waukesha County: 4.0 times less than the Wisconsin average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Biking is unusually rare in Waukesha County: 3.9 times less than the Wisconsin average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
Commute Mode Trends in Waukesha County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Waukesha 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
Walked
Other
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Taxi
2009
92.8%
3.8%
1.6%
0.4%
0.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
2010
92.8%
4.0%
1.5%
0.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2011
92.9%
4.3%
1.3%
0.3%
0.7%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2012
92.8%
4.4%
1.3%
0.3%
0.7%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2013
92.8%
4.4%
1.4%
0.4%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
92.7%
4.5%
1.4%
0.4%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2015
92.9%
4.2%
1.3%
0.4%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2016
93.2%
4.0%
1.3%
0.4%
0.6%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2017
93.0%
4.4%
1.2%
0.5%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
2018
92.8%
4.6%
1.1%
0.4%
0.6%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
92.3%
5.0%
1.2%
0.4%
0.6%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2020
89.4%
8.0%
1.2%
0.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
2021
86.4%
11.1%
1.2%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2022
84.6%
13.2%
1.1%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
82.6%
15.3%
1.1%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
81.2%
16.8%
1.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2016 at 93.2%. Overall it fell from 92.8% in 2009 to 81.2% in 2024, down 11.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 8 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Waukesha County: its share of workers rose from 3.8% in 2009 to 16.8% in 2024, up 13.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 11.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 0.9% to 0.2% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Waukesha County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Waukesha County?
The bars show when commuters in Waukesha 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 Wisconsin for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMWaukesha County3.5%Wisconsin6.9%
3.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMWaukesha County3.3%Wisconsin4.7%
3.3%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMWaukesha County4.3%Wisconsin6.1%
4.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMWaukesha County9.2%Wisconsin8.5%
9.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMWaukesha County11.2%Wisconsin10.4%
11.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMWaukesha County17.2%Wisconsin14.7%
17.2%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMWaukesha County13.3%Wisconsin12.7%
13.3%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMWaukesha County12.3%Wisconsin9.0%
12.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMWaukesha County4.9%Wisconsin4.0%
4.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMWaukesha County6.0%Wisconsin4.7%
6.0%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMWaukesha County2.3%Wisconsin2.4%
2.3%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMWaukesha County1.4%Wisconsin1.3%
1.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMWaukesha County6.3%Wisconsin8.1%
6.3%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMWaukesha County4.8%Wisconsin6.4%
4.8%
Waukesha CountyWisconsinSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Waukesha County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 17.2% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.7% across Wisconsin. Early starts are less common than in Wisconsin: 11.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 17.7% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Wisconsin: 54.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.8% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (20.8%) 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha County next to Wisconsin 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
Waukesha County
Wisconsin
United States
2009
7:30 AM
7:30 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:30 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:31 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:31 AM
7:31 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:31 AM
7:31 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:31 AM
7:30 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:31 AM
7:30 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:31 AM
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:30 AM
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:30 AM
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:30 AM
7:27 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:31 AM
7:27 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:30 AM
7:27 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:30 AM
7:27 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:32 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:33 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Waukesha County were on the road by 7:33 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:30 AM). That goes against the trend across Wisconsin, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Waukesha County now leave 5 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 Waukesha County has moved 3 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Waukesha County in the whole series.
How does Waukesha County's commute time compare?
Metric
Waukesha County
Wisconsin
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
21.4 min
18.8 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
16.8%
13.1%
15.0%
Walked
1.0%
2.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
1.1%
3.2%
The average commute time in Waukesha County is 21.4 minutes, longer than the 18.8 minutes in Wisconsin.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.1% in Wisconsin. 1.0% commute by walking, lower than the 2.6% in Wisconsin.
Waukesha County, WI Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Waukesha County, WI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 411,699 residents against a local median of 105,657. Waukesha County, WI's work from home, at 16.8%, runs 60% above the 10.5% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread 5.2% on work from home, so Waukesha County, WI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Waukesha County, WI has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?
Commuters here spend an estimated 178 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,528 at a typical national wage. That's 14% more than the typical Wisconsin commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. 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.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% of commuters use it versus 1.1% in Wisconsin, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Wisconsin?
Among counties in Wisconsin, the shortest average commutes are in Ashland County (12.8 min), Door County (13.6 min), Eau Claire County (15.3 min). The longest are in Oconto County (26.4 min), St. Croix County (25.3 min), Waushara County (23.9 min).