Quality of Life

Alaska vs California: Commute Time

Alaska has a shorter average commute than California.

Alaska flag
Alaska
AK · West
Winner
18.8 min
Average commute time in minutes.
California flag
California
CA · West
28.4 min
Average commute time in minutes.

Visual comparison

Alaska18.8 min
California28.4 min

Difference: 9.6 minutes — Alaska leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for commute time.

Alaska #6 · 18.8 min
California #44 · 28.4 min
Best Worst

10 Best States — Commute Time

Lower is better
#1 South Dakota flag South Dakota
15.9 min
#2 North Dakota flag North Dakota
16.2 min
#3 Wyoming flag Wyoming
17.7 min
#4 Montana flag Montana
17.9 min
#5 Nebraska flag Nebraska
18.3 min
#6 Alaska flag Alaska
18.8 min
#7 Kansas flag Kansas
19.1 min
#8 Iowa flag Iowa
19.2 min
#9 Idaho flag Idaho
21.2 min
#10 New Mexico flag New Mexico
21.7 min
Selected states
#44 California flag California
28.4 min

Alaska ranks 6th and California ranks 44th nationally for commute time.

Related context

Commute in Context

Commute time affects quality of life, gas costs, and real take-home pay.

What this means

Alaska vs California: Commute Time in context

Alaska's commute time is 18.8 min, compared with 28.4 min in California. Average commute time in minutes.

Alaska
18.8 min
California
28.4 min
Difference
9.6 minutes

People also ask

Alaska vs California Commute Time — common questions

QWhat is Alaska's commute time?

Alaska's commute time is 18.8 min.

QWhat is California's commute time?

California's commute time is 28.4 min.

QWhich state has a lower commute time — Alaska or California?

Alaska has a shorter average commute than California.

More comparisons: Alaska vs California

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Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
ACS 2023 estimates
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
State values or ratios calculated from ACS fields.