US States · Mean commute (minutes, one way)

US States by Average Commute Time (2024)

Data: 2024 ACS 1-year estimates Updated: Source: U.S. Census Bureau CSV

How long does the typical trip to work take? This list ranks states by the average one-way commute for workers who do not work from home. Long average commutes tend to reflect big metro areas, transit-heavy cities with slower door-to-door trips, or housing far from job centers.

Workers in New York have the longest commutes at 33.2 minutes each way, while North Dakota has the shortest at 17.5 minutes. The US average is 27.2 minutes.

Key facts

Highest

  1. 1New York33.2
  2. 2Maryland32.3
  3. 3New Jersey31.9

Lowest

  1. 51North Dakota17.5
  2. 50South Dakota18.5
  3. 49Montana19.5
United States
27.2
Median of 51 states
25.7
states ranked
51

Mean commute (minutes, one way) by state

Shaded by quintile; darker = higher. Hover a state for its value and rank.

Alabama: 26.0 (rank 25 of 51)Alaska: 19.8 (rank 47 of 51)Arizona: 26.4 (rank 20 of 51)Colorado: 25.7 (rank 28 of 51)Florida: 28.9 (rank 8 of 51)Georgia: 29.4 (rank 7 of 51)Indiana: 24.6 (rank 30 of 51)Kansas: 20.0 (rank 45 of 51)Maine: 25.6 (rank 29 of 51)Massachusetts: 30.6 (rank 5 of 51)Minnesota: 22.7 (rank 41 of 51)New Jersey: 31.9 (rank 3 of 51)North Carolina: 25.7 (rank 27 of 51)North Dakota: 17.5 (rank 51 of 51)Oklahoma: 22.7 (rank 40 of 51)Pennsylvania: 27.1 (rank 14 of 51)South Dakota: 18.5 (rank 50 of 51)Texas: 27.5 (rank 11 of 51)Wyoming: 19.7 (rank 48 of 51)Connecticut: 27.0 (rank 15 of 51)Missouri: 24.0 (rank 33 of 51)West Virginia: 26.5 (rank 18 of 51)Illinois: 28.3 (rank 9 of 51)New Mexico: 24.0 (rank 34 of 51)Arkansas: 22.7 (rank 42 of 51)California: 29.7 (rank 6 of 51)Delaware: 26.8 (rank 16 of 51)Hawaii: 26.7 (rank 17 of 51)Iowa: 20.4 (rank 44 of 51)Kentucky: 24.5 (rank 31 of 51)Maryland: 32.3 (rank 2 of 51)Michigan: 24.3 (rank 32 of 51)Mississippi: 26.4 (rank 21 of 51)Montana: 19.5 (rank 49 of 51)New Hampshire: 27.5 (rank 12 of 51)New York: 33.2 (rank 1 of 51)Ohio: 23.8 (rank 36 of 51)Oregon: 23.2 (rank 37 of 51)Tennessee: 26.5 (rank 19 of 51)Utah: 23.2 (rank 38 of 51)Virginia: 28.3 (rank 10 of 51)Washington: 27.2 (rank 13 of 51)Wisconsin: 22.7 (rank 39 of 51)Nebraska: 19.9 (rank 46 of 51)South Carolina: 26.3 (rank 22 of 51)Idaho: 22.2 (rank 43 of 51)Nevada: 25.7 (rank 26 of 51)Vermont: 23.9 (rank 35 of 51)Louisiana: 26.2 (rank 24 of 51)Rhode Island: 26.3 (rank 23 of 51) District of Columbia: 31.0 (rank 4 of 51)
  • 17.5–22.7
  • 22.7–24.5
  • 24.6–26.4
  • 26.4–27.5
  • 28.3–33.2
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates. Map: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (via us-atlas), Albers USA projection; Alaska and Hawaii repositioned.

Highest and lowest states

Mean commute (minutes, one way); dashed line marks the US figure.

Highest 10

  1. 1. New York 33.2
  2. 2. Maryland 32.3
  3. 3. New Jersey 31.9
  4. 4. District of Columbia 31.0
  5. 5. Massachusetts 30.6
  6. 6. California 29.7
  7. 7. Georgia 29.4
  8. 8. Florida 28.9
  9. 9. Illinois 28.3
  10. 10. Virginia 28.3

Lowest 10

  1. 42. Arkansas 22.7
  2. 43. Idaho 22.2
  3. 44. Iowa 20.4
  4. 45. Kansas 20.0
  5. 46. Nebraska 19.9
  6. 47. Alaska 19.8
  7. 48. Wyoming 19.7
  8. 49. Montana 19.5
  9. 50. South Dakota 18.5
  10. 51. North Dakota 17.5

United States: 27.2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates.

Full ranking

Download CSV 51 rows
Select a column header to sort (press again to reverse).
1 New York 33.2 Northeast 19,867,248
2 Maryland 32.3 South 6,263,220
3 New Jersey 31.9 Northeast 9,500,851
4 District of Columbia 31.0 South 702,250
5 Massachusetts 30.6 Northeast 7,136,171
6 California 29.7 West 39,431,263
7 Georgia 29.4 South 11,180,878
8 Florida 28.9 South 23,372,215
9 Illinois 28.3 Midwest 12,710,158
10 Virginia 28.3 South 8,811,195
11 Texas 27.5 South 31,290,831
12 New Hampshire 27.5 Northeast 1,409,032
13 Washington 27.2 West 7,958,180
14 Pennsylvania 27.1 Northeast 13,078,751
15 Connecticut 27.0 Northeast 3,675,069
16 Delaware 26.8 South 1,051,917
17 Hawaii 26.7 West 1,446,146
18 West Virginia 26.5 South 1,769,979
19 Tennessee 26.5 South 7,227,750
20 Arizona 26.4 West 7,582,384
21 Mississippi 26.4 South 2,943,045
22 South Carolina 26.3 South 5,478,831
23 Rhode Island 26.3 Northeast 1,112,308
24 Louisiana 26.2 South 4,597,740
25 Alabama 26.0 South 5,157,699
26 Nevada 25.7 West 3,267,467
27 North Carolina 25.7 South 11,046,024
28 Colorado 25.7 West 5,957,494
29 Maine 25.6 Northeast 1,405,012
30 Indiana 24.6 Midwest 6,924,275
31 Kentucky 24.5 South 4,588,372
32 Michigan 24.3 Midwest 10,140,459
33 Missouri 24.0 Midwest 6,245,466
34 New Mexico 24.0 West 2,130,256
35 Vermont 23.9 Northeast 648,493
36 Ohio 23.8 Midwest 11,883,304
37 Oregon 23.2 West 4,272,371
38 Utah 23.2 West 3,503,613
39 Wisconsin 22.7 Midwest 5,960,975
40 Oklahoma 22.7 South 4,095,393
41 Minnesota 22.7 Midwest 5,793,151
42 Arkansas 22.7 South 3,088,354
43 Idaho 22.2 West 2,001,619
44 Iowa 20.4 Midwest 3,241,488
45 Kansas 20.0 Midwest 2,970,606
46 Nebraska 19.9 Midwest 2,005,466
47 Alaska 19.8 West 740,133
48 Wyoming 19.7 West 587,618
49 Montana 19.5 West 1,137,233
50 South Dakota 18.5 Midwest 924,669
51 North Dakota 17.5 Midwest 796,568

Methodology

Mean travel time calculated as aggregate travel time to work (table B08013) divided by the number of workers 16+ who did not work from home (table B08303 total), 1-year American Community Survey estimates. This is the same method the Census Bureau uses for its published "mean travel time to work" statistic.

Puerto Rico and other US territories are not included. Rankings use competition ranking: tied values share a rank.

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the longest commute?

New York, at an average of 33.2 minutes one way.

Are remote workers included?

No. People who worked from home are excluded from the average; see our work-from-home ranking for them.

Sources

Data retrieved October 28, 2026. Values are shown as published, rounded for display; derived percentages are computed by us from published counts as described above. Download the CSV. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Cite this page: SortedLists, “US States by Average Commute Time”, https://sortedlists.com/states-by-commute-time/ (accessed October 28, 2026). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, tables B08013, B08303.