Commute Time
The average or median travel time in minutes that workers in a ZIP code spend commuting from home to work, reported by the American Community Survey.
Mean travel time to work is a demographic measure reported at the ZCTA level by the Census Bureau. It captures the one-way commute duration for workers aged 16 and older who do not work from home. The national average commute time is approximately 27 minutes, but ZIP-level averages range from under 10 minutes in small towns to over 45 minutes in outer suburbs and exurbs.
The ACS also reports commuting mode (drove alone, carpooled, public transit, walked, worked from home) and departure time, providing a detailed picture of local commuting patterns.
Commute time data is used in real estate valuations (longer commutes correlate with lower housing costs at a given income level), transportation planning, employer site selection, and quality-of-life indices. The post-2020 rise in remote work has significantly altered commute patterns in many ZIP codes.