Guide Rankings Infrastructure Updated July 4, 2026

Average Commute Time by State

Cars moving slowly on a crowded highway during rush hour

Average Commute Time by State

Ranking - Infrastructure

New York has the longest average commute at 33.5 minutes. South Dakota is shortest at 17.3 minutes.

Quick Answer

Average Commute Time by State

  1. 1

    Average commute time by state is highest in New York at 33.5 minutes one way.

  2. 2

    South Dakota is lowest at 17.3 minutes. New York commuters spend 16.2 more minutes getting to work than South Dakota commuters.

  3. 3

    New York also has the highest public transit share at 28.0%, while Alabama has the highest drive solo share at 86.3%. Hawaii has the top carpool share at 14.7%.

Map

Average Commute Time by State Map

Minutes
No data
New York leads at 33.5 minutes, followed by Maryland at 33.0 and New Jersey at 32.0. South Dakota is lowest at 17.3 minutes, with North Dakota at 17.6 just above it.
Average Commute Time by State Map
Rank State Minutes
1 New York 33.5
2 Maryland 33
3 New Jersey 32
4 Massachusetts 30
5 California 29.8
6 Illinois 29
7 Georgia 28.7
8 Virginia 28.6
9 Washington 28
10 Florida 27.9
11 New Hampshire 27.4
12 Hawaii 27.1
13 Pennsylvania 27.1
14 Connecticut 26.7
15 Texas 26.6
16 Delaware 26.2
17 West Virginia 26.1
18 Arizona 25.8
19 Colorado 25.8
20 Louisiana 25.8
21 Tennessee 25.4
22 Rhode Island 25.3
23 Alabama 25.2
24 Mississippi 25.2
25 South Carolina 25.1
26 North Carolina 24.9
27 Michigan 24.6
28 Nevada 24.6
29 Maine 24.3
30 Indiana 23.9
31 Missouri 23.9
32 Oregon 23.9
33 Minnesota 23.8
34 Kentucky 23.7
35 Ohio 23.7
36 Vermont 23.3
37 New Mexico 22.7
38 Wisconsin 22.2
39 Oklahoma 22
40 Utah 22
41 Arkansas 21.8
42 Idaho 21.2
43 Kansas 19.6
44 Iowa 19.5
45 Alaska 18.9
46 Nebraska 18.9
47 Montana 18.4
48 Wyoming 17.9
49 North Dakota 17.6
50 South Dakota 17.3

New York leads at 33.5 minutes, followed by Maryland at 33.0 and New Jersey at 32.0. South Dakota is lowest at 17.3 minutes, with North Dakota at 17.6 just above it.

Average Commute Time by State Table

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Print-ready table — Average Commute Time by State

States With the Longest and Shortest Commutes

Highest

33.5
New York flag
New York #1

Lowest

17.3
South Dakota flag
South Dakota #50

Top 10 Highest — Average Commute (min)

#1 New York flag New York
33.5
#2 Maryland flag Maryland
33.0
#3 New Jersey flag New Jersey
32.0
#4 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
30.0
#5 California flag California
29.8
#6 Illinois flag Illinois
29.0
#7 Georgia flag Georgia
28.7
#8 Virginia flag Virginia
28.6
#9 Washington flag Washington
28.0
#10 Florida flag Florida
27.9

Top 10 Lowest — Average Commute (min)

#50 South Dakota flag South Dakota
17.3
#49 North Dakota flag North Dakota
17.6
#48 Wyoming flag Wyoming
17.9
#47 Montana flag Montana
18.4
#46 Nebraska flag Nebraska
18.9
#45 Alaska flag Alaska
18.9
#44 Iowa flag Iowa
19.5
#43 Kansas flag Kansas
19.6
#42 Idaho flag Idaho
21.2
#41 Arkansas flag Arkansas
21.8

States With the Longest Commute Times

Heavy freeway traffic representing states with the longest commute times
New York leads at 33.5 minutes, with Maryland at 33.0 and New Jersey at 32.0 close behind.

New York ranks first at 33.5 minutes, followed by Maryland at 33.0 and New Jersey at 32.0. Massachusetts is fourth at 30.0, and California is fifth at 29.8.

Illinois also stays high at 29.0, while Georgia is at 28.7 and Virginia is at 28.6. The national mean was 27.2 minutes in the 2024 ACS summary, so each of those states sits above the U.S. figure.

States With the Shortest Commute Times

Open road representing states with the shortest commute times
South Dakota is lowest at 17.3 minutes. North Dakota is next at 17.6, and Wyoming is at 17.9.

South Dakota has the shortest average commute at 17.3 minutes. North Dakota is next at 17.6, Wyoming is at 17.9, and Montana is at 18.4.

Alaska and Nebraska both post 18.9 minutes, while Iowa is at 19.5 and Kansas is at 19.6. Every state in that cluster stays well below the 27.2 minute national mean.

States With the Most Public Transit Commuters

Commuter train platform representing states with the highest public transit use
New York leads public transit use at 28.0%. New Jersey is second at 11.7%, and Massachusetts is third at 10.2%.

New York has the highest public transit share at 28.0%, far ahead of New Jersey at 11.7% and Massachusetts at 10.2%. Illinois is also high at 9.4%, and Maryland reaches 7.9%.

Alabama and Mississippi are each at 0.3% public transit use, while South Dakota is at 0.2%. Alabama also has the highest drive solo share at 86.3%, and Hawaii has the highest carpool share at 14.7%.

Quick Answers

Which state has the longest average commute time?
New York has the longest average commute time at 33.5 minutes. Maryland ranks second at 33.0, and New Jersey is third at 32.0.
Which state has the shortest average commute time?
South Dakota has the shortest average commute time at 17.3 minutes. North Dakota follows at 17.6, and Wyoming is at 17.9.
What is the average commute time in California?
California averages 29.8 minutes one way. That puts it fifth overall, just behind Massachusetts at 30.0.
What is the average commute time in Texas?
Texas averages 26.6 minutes one way. Its drive solo share is 80.7%, while public transit use is 1.3%.
Which state uses public transit the most for commuting?
New York has the highest public transit share at 28.0%. New Jersey is next at 11.7%, and Massachusetts is at 10.2%.
Which state has the highest drive solo share?
Alabama has the highest drive solo share at 86.3%. Mississippi is close behind at 85.5%, and West Virginia is at 83.3%.

Methodology

Average commute time, carpool share, drive solo share, and public transit share use the World Population Review 2026 state table shown from recent U.S. Census Bureau commuting data. The District of Columbia appears in the source table but is excluded here because this page ranks the 50 states only.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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