Mean travel time to work varies substantially across the United States. The Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 mean travel time chart reports 26.4 minutes for the nation, with state figures ranging from 17.8 minutes in South Dakota to 32.6 minutes in New York.
Contents
- National benchmark
- States with the longest reported commutes
- The upper-middle group
- States near the national figure
- States with shorter reported commutes
- Complete state comparison
National benchmark
The Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 mean travel time chart lists the United States at 26.4 minutes. This is the national reference point for the state figures in the same chart. The measure is mean travel time to work, and the period is 2020–2024; it is not a peak-hour traffic forecast or a measure of every trip made during the day.
The state values show why a single national number can conceal meaningful differences. Some places are reported above 30 minutes, while others are below 20 minutes. The chart also includes Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, which are presented separately from the states below.
States with the longest reported commutes
New York has the highest mean travel time to work in the supplied Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 figures, at 32.6 minutes. Maryland follows at 31.1 minutes, while New Jersey is reported at 30.5 minutes. The District of Columbia is listed at 30.0 minutes.
These are the only entries in the supplied comparison at 30 minutes or more. Their figures describe the mean for the named geography, not a typical journey for every resident or a guarantee that an individual commute will fall close to the reported value.
The next group remains above the national figure but below 30 minutes. Massachusetts records 29.1 minutes, California 28.7 minutes, and Georgia 28.3 minutes. Puerto Rico and Florida are both listed at 28.0 minutes. Illinois records 27.8 minutes, Virginia 27.3 minutes, Texas 26.7 minutes, New Hampshire 26.7 minutes, Washington 26.6 minutes, and West Virginia 26.6 minutes.
| Geography | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|
| New York | 32.6 minutes |
| Maryland | 31.1 minutes |
| New Jersey | 30.5 minutes |
| District of Columbia | 30.0 minutes |
| Massachusetts | 29.1 minutes |
| California | 28.7 minutes |
| Georgia | 28.3 minutes |
| Puerto Rico | 28.0 minutes |
| Florida | 28.0 minutes |
Source for every value in this table: Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 mean travel time chart.
The upper-middle group
Several places cluster close to the national benchmark while still remaining above it. Connecticut is listed at 26.5 minutes, Pennsylvania at 26.3 minutes, Hawaii at 26.2 minutes, and Delaware at 26.0 minutes. Louisiana and Tennessee each record 25.7 minutes.
Mississippi and South Carolina are both listed at 25.6 minutes. Alabama and Rhode Island each record 25.5 minutes, while Arizona is reported at 25.4 minutes. Colorado records 25.2 minutes, and North Carolina 25.1 minutes.
This part of the chart is useful for readers comparing places that sit around the national value. The reported figures are close enough that the distinction between neighboring entries should be read as a difference in the charted mean, not as a precise prediction for any particular worker. Each figure still refers to the 2020–2024 measurement period and to travel to work.
States near the national figure
Nevada is listed at 24.8 minutes, followed by Maine at 24.6 minutes. Michigan records 24.2 minutes, Indiana 24.1 minutes, and Kentucky 24.0 minutes. These entries sit below the United States figure of 26.4 minutes in the same Census QuickFacts chart.
New Mexico, Vermont, and Missouri each record 23.5 minutes. Ohio is listed at 23.4 minutes, Oregon at 23.0 minutes, and Minnesota at 22.7 minutes. Arkansas records 22.5 minutes, Oklahoma 22.4 minutes, Wisconsin 22.2 minutes, and Utah 22.1 minutes.
The sequence demonstrates that the middle of the national comparison is broad rather than concentrated at one exact value. A state can be below the national mean while still having a reported mean above 20 minutes. The figures should therefore be used to understand relative position among the listed geographies, not to label a commute as short or long without considering the person, route, and travel mode.
States with shorter reported commutes
Idaho is listed at 21.6 minutes. The next group is below 20 minutes: Iowa at 19.8 minutes, Kansas at 19.7 minutes, Alaska at 19.4 minutes, Nebraska at 19.2 minutes, Montana at 19.1 minutes, Wyoming at 18.8 minutes, North Dakota at 17.9 minutes, and South Dakota at 17.8 minutes.
South Dakota has the lowest reported figure in the supplied Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 comparison, followed by North Dakota and Wyoming. These numbers are means for the named geographies. They do not state that all workers in those places have commutes below 20 minutes, and they do not describe travel for errands, school, leisure, or remote work.
The lower end of the chart includes several western and plains states, but the source figures alone do not explain why the values differ. No cause should be inferred from these numbers without additional data on settlement patterns, workplace locations, transportation, or the share of residents traveling to work.
Complete state comparison
The following list preserves the Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 values for all 50 states in the supplied comparison. It is organized from the highest reported mean to the lowest so readers can locate a state quickly.
Above 27 minutes
- New York: 32.6 minutes.
- Maryland: 31.1 minutes.
- New Jersey: 30.5 minutes.
- Massachusetts: 29.1 minutes.
- California: 28.7 minutes.
- Georgia: 28.3 minutes.
- Florida: 28.0 minutes.
- Illinois: 27.8 minutes.
- Virginia: 27.3 minutes.
From 26 to 27 minutes
- Texas: 26.7 minutes.
- New Hampshire: 26.7 minutes.
- Washington: 26.6 minutes.
- West Virginia: 26.6 minutes.
- Connecticut: 26.5 minutes.
- Pennsylvania: 26.3 minutes.
- Hawaii: 26.2 minutes.
- Delaware: 26.0 minutes.
From 24 to 25.9 minutes
- Louisiana: 25.7 minutes.
- Tennessee: 25.7 minutes.
- Mississippi: 25.6 minutes.
- South Carolina: 25.6 minutes.
- Alabama: 25.5 minutes.
- Rhode Island: 25.5 minutes.
- Arizona: 25.4 minutes.
- Colorado: 25.2 minutes.
- North Carolina: 25.1 minutes.
- Nevada: 24.8 minutes.
- Maine: 24.6 minutes.
- Michigan: 24.2 minutes.
- Indiana: 24.1 minutes.
- Kentucky: 24.0 minutes.
Below 24 minutes
- New Mexico: 23.5 minutes.
- Vermont: 23.5 minutes.
- Missouri: 23.5 minutes.
- Ohio: 23.4 minutes.
- Oregon: 23.0 minutes.
- Minnesota: 22.7 minutes.
- Arkansas: 22.5 minutes.
- Oklahoma: 22.4 minutes.
- Wisconsin: 22.2 minutes.
- Utah: 22.1 minutes.
- Idaho: 21.6 minutes.
- Iowa: 19.8 minutes.
- Kansas: 19.7 minutes.
- Alaska: 19.4 minutes.
- Nebraska: 19.2 minutes.
- Montana: 19.1 minutes.
- Wyoming: 18.8 minutes.
- North Dakota: 17.9 minutes.
- South Dakota: 17.8 minutes.
The Census QuickFacts 2020–2024 mean travel time chart also reports Puerto Rico at 28.0 minutes and the District of Columbia at 30.0 minutes. Those entries are included in the earlier comparison because they are not states. All values in this article retain the source’s geography and measurement period.
How to read these commute statistics
Mean travel time is an average, so it summarizes a distribution of reported travel times rather than describing every commute. The supplied Census QuickFacts figures also do not provide a mode-by-mode breakdown, a median, a percentile distribution, or a separate peak-period estimate. Comparisons should stay within the stated measure: mean travel time to work for 2020–2024.
For a practical state comparison, start with the national figure of 26.4 minutes, identify the relevant geography, and then note its position in the chart. New York is listed at 32.6 minutes, while South Dakota is listed at 17.8 minutes. Between those endpoints, the remaining state figures show a continuous spread of reported means rather than a single national commuting pattern.