Economics
How Long Americans Commute, by ZIP Code
Average one-way commute time in the U.S. is 26.8 minutes. The variation by place is dramatic, and tells you a lot about local infrastructure and density.
By City Zip Compare Editorial · January 10, 2026 · 6 min read
The U.S. national average one-way commute is 26.8 minutes (ACS5 2019–2023). That figure has barely moved in twenty years, despite the rise of remote work — because the Census measures only commutes that actually happen. Workers who never go to a workplace are excluded from the denominator.
Why the spread is huge
South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas have average commutes under 19 minutes. Maryland, New York, and New Jersey average above 33. The driver isn't physical distance — it's congestion and mode share. A 12-mile drive in Sioux Falls takes 15 minutes; a 12-mile commute in northern New Jersey takes 50.
Commute as a hidden cost of living
When comparing two places with similar incomes, commute time is the cleanest single proxy for time-tax. A 45-minute one-way commute is 7.5 hours a week — almost a full additional workday — that you don't see in income or housing-cost numbers.
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FIPS Codes, ZCTAs and the Plumbing of U.S. Geographic Data
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Data: census.gov/programs-surveys/acs.