US states by mean travel time to work

Name: US states by mean travel time to work, 2021
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

New York had the highest mean travel time to work of 51 states in 2021, at 33.3 minutes. South Dakota had the lowest, at 17.4 minutes. The median was 25.2 minutes and the figure for the United States was 26.8 minutes. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest33.3New York

Lowest17.4South Dakota

Median25.251 states

United States26.8History

All states, 2021

CSV Chart (SVG)

minutes. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2021 minutes
1	New York Estimated	33.3
2	Maryland Estimated	32.5
3	New Jersey Estimated	31.5
4	District of Columbia Estimated	30.4
5	Massachusetts Estimated	29.6
6	California Estimated	29.5
7	Illinois Estimated	28.7
8	Georgia Estimated	28.6
9	Virginia Estimated	28.2
10	Florida Estimated	27.9
11	Washington Estimated	27.7
12	New Hampshire Estimated	27.1
13	Pennsylvania Estimated	26.9
14	Hawaii Estimated	26.8
15	Texas Estimated	26.6
16	Connecticut Estimated	26.5
17	Delaware Estimated	26
17	West Virginia Estimated	26
19	Louisiana Estimated	25.9
20	Colorado Estimated	25.8
21	Arizona Estimated	25.7
22	Tennessee Estimated	25.5
23	Mississippi Estimated	25.4
24	Rhode Island Estimated	25.3
24	South Carolina Estimated	25.3
26	Alabama Estimated	25.2
27	North Carolina Estimated	25
28	Nevada Estimated	24.7
29	Michigan Estimated	24.5
30	Maine Estimated	24.3
31	Indiana Estimated	23.9
32	Missouri Estimated	23.8
33	Kentucky Estimated	23.7
33	Ohio Estimated	23.7
33	Oregon Estimated	23.7
36	Minnesota Estimated	23.5
37	Vermont Estimated	23.3
38	New Mexico Estimated	22.9
39	Oklahoma Estimated	22.2
39	Wisconsin Estimated	22.2
41	Arkansas Estimated	22
41	Utah Estimated	22
43	Idaho Estimated	21.2
44	Iowa Estimated	19.6
44	Kansas Estimated	19.6
46	Alaska Estimated	19.5
47	Nebraska Estimated	19.1
48	Montana Estimated	18.6
49	Wyoming Estimated	18.1
50	North Dakota Estimated	17.6
51	South Dakota Estimated	17.4

Other periods

2024
2023
2022
2021

About this ranking

Mean one-way travel time to work in minutes for workers aged 16 and over who did not work from home.

ACS five-year estimates: the period labels the final year of the five-year survey window, not a single calendar year. Calculated from aggregate minutes in B08135 and workers in B08303, with both inputs stored. Missing or suppressed county inputs are left out. Not mixed with ACS one-year estimates.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates: mean travel time to work, B08135 aggregate minutes divided by B08303 workers not working at home. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

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Questions

Which state has the highest mean travel time to work?

New York, with 33.3 minutes in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest mean travel time to work?

South Dakota, with 17.4 minutes in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates: mean travel time to work, B08135 aggregate minutes divided by B08303 workers not working at home. Retrieved 2026-10-10.