How long is the commute to work in each state?
In the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey, workers in New York had the longest average one-way commute, 32.6 minutes, followed by Maryland (31.1) and New Jersey (30.5). South Dakota's was shortest at 17.8 minutes, and the U.S. average was 26.4. People who work from home are not counted.
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Bars are sorted from highest to lowest and start at zero; each one's value is at its end. The dashed line is “United States”, for comparison. On a phone it opens on the top and bottom 10; tap “Show all” for the rest. These are survey estimates: the thin lines and the ± figures show each one's margin of error, and the true value is likely (90% confidence) within that range. Where ranges overlap, the difference may not be real.
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Key facts
Measure: Average one-way commute, minutes. Written from the data below.
- New York has the highest figure, 32.6, followed by Maryland (31.1) and New Jersey (30.5).
- South Dakota has the lowest figure, 17.8, followed by North Dakota (17.9) and Wyoming (18.8).
- The highest is 1.8 times the lowest.
- United States: 26.4. Of the 51 compared, 15 are above it and 36 below.
Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
Citation
Chartly. “How long is the commute to work in each state?” Chart. Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html (data as of December 31, 2024). https://chart.ly/charts/commute-time-by-state (accessed October 15, 2026).
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The data
Download data (CSV)The file has the numbers in this table, with the source, license and date. Please credit the source and Chartly.
| State | Average one-way commute, minutes | Margin of error (±) |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 32.6 | ±0.1 |
| Maryland | 31.1 | ±0.1 |
| New Jersey | 30.5 | ±0.1 |
| District of Columbia | 30 | ±0.4 |
| Massachusetts | 29.1 | ±0.1 |
| California | 28.7 | ±0.1 |
| Georgia | 28.3 | ±0.1 |
| Florida | 28 | ±0.1 |
| Illinois | 27.8 | ±0.1 |
| Virginia | 27.3 | ±0.1 |
| New Hampshire | 26.7 | ±0.2 |
| Texas | 26.7 | ±0.1 |
| Washington | 26.6 | ±0.1 |
| West Virginia | 26.6 | ±0.3 |
| Connecticut | 26.5 | ±0.1 |
| United States | 26.4 | ±0.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 26.3 | ±0.1 |
| Hawaii | 26.2 | ±0.2 |
| Delaware | 26 | ±0.3 |
| Louisiana | 25.7 | ±0.2 |
| Tennessee | 25.7 | ±0.1 |
| Mississippi | 25.6 | ±0.2 |
| South Carolina | 25.6 | ±0.1 |
| Alabama | 25.5 | ±0.1 |
| Rhode Island | 25.5 | ±0.3 |
| Arizona | 25.4 | ±0.1 |
| Colorado | 25.2 | ±0.1 |
| North Carolina | 25.1 | ±0.1 |
| Nevada | 24.8 | ±0.2 |
| Maine | 24.6 | ±0.3 |
| Michigan | 24.2 | ±0.1 |
| Indiana | 24.1 | ±0.1 |
| Kentucky | 24 | ±0.2 |
| Missouri | 23.5 | ±0.1 |
| New Mexico | 23.5 | ±0.3 |
| Vermont | 23.5 | ±0.3 |
| Ohio | 23.4 | ±0.1 |
| Oregon | 23 | ±0.2 |
| Minnesota | 22.7 | ±0.1 |
| Arkansas | 22.5 | ±0.2 |
| Oklahoma | 22.4 | ±0.1 |
| Wisconsin | 22.2 | ±0.1 |
| Utah | 22.1 | ±0.1 |
| Idaho | 21.6 | ±0.2 |
| Iowa | 19.8 | ±0.1 |
| Kansas | 19.7 | ±0.1 |
| Alaska | 19.4 | ±0.3 |
| Nebraska | 19.2 | ±0.1 |
| Montana | 19.1 | ±0.2 |
| Wyoming | 18.8 | ±0.4 |
| North Dakota | 17.9 | ±0.3 |
| South Dakota | 17.8 | ±0.2 |
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