State rankings

Commute Time by State

New York has the highest Average (Minutes) (33.5), followed by Maryland (33) and New Jersey (32). South Dakota has the lowest (17.3).

Infrastructure & Energy51 states · 4 metricsUpdated Jul 5, 2023Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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Average (Minutes)

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
25.1
Middle half 22.45 – 27.1
Average
24.84
51 states
Lowest (best)
17.3
South Dakota
Highest (worst)
33.5
New York

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Average (Minutes)
#
1South Dakota17.38.8%81.1%0.2%
2North Dakota17.68.7%82.2%0.7%
3Wyoming17.910.2%75.8%1.2%
4Montana18.49.5%74.9%0.8%
5Nebraska18.98.7%82.1%0.6%
5Alaska18.912.3%68.0%1.2%
7Iowa19.58.1%81.6%1%
8Kansas19.69.3%82.0%0.5%
9Idaho21.28.9%79.7%0.8%
10Arkansas21.810.4%82.6%0.4%
11Oklahoma229.5%82.5%0.5%
11Utah2211.1%75.7%2.2%
13Wisconsin22.27.5%81.7%1.5%
14New Mexico22.711.2%79.3%1.1%
15Vermont23.39%75.4%0.9%
16Ohio23.78.2%82.4%1.6%
16Kentucky23.79.4%82.4%1%
18Minnesota23.88.4%77.7%3.5%
19Indiana23.98.9%82.9%0.9%
19Missouri23.98.4%82.2%1.3%
19Oregon23.99.5%71.7%4.2%
22Maine24.39.9%77.8%0.6%
23Michigan24.68.9%82.0%1.4%
23Nevada24.610.5%78.3%2.9%
25North Carolina24.99.3%80.6%1%
26South Carolina25.19.4%81.4%0.6%
27Alabama25.27.9%86.3%0.3%
27Mississippi25.28.9%85.5%0.3%
29Rhode Island25.38.1%81.3%2.2%
30Tennessee25.49%83.1%0.6%
31Arizona25.811.0%76.1%1.7%
31Colorado25.88.6%74.9%2.8%
31Louisiana25.89%82.7%1.2%
34West Virginia26.18.6%83.3%0.9%
35Delaware26.29.1%79.6%2.2%
36Texas26.69.8%80.7%1.3%
37Connecticut26.78.1%77.9%4.4%
38Pennsylvania27.18.5%75.6%5.8%
38Hawaii27.114.7%67.3%5.7%
40New Hampshire27.47.4%80.8%0.9%
41Florida27.99.4%79.1%1.7%
42Washington289.8%71.0%7%
43Virginia28.69.1%76.7%4.5%
44Georgia28.79.4%79.4%2%
45Illinois298.3%72.7%9.4%
46California29.810.0%73.8%4.9%
47Massachusetts307.4%69.8%10.2%
48District of Columbia30.95.1%34.2%34.4%
49New Jersey328.2%70.9%11.7%
50Maryland338.8%74.3%7.9%
51New York33.56.3%53.1%28.0%

What correlates with Average (Minutes)?

Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states, 1 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Average (Minutes) tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Average RentAverage Rent by State
    r = +0.74 · very strong · n = 45
    Plot
  3. Educational Attainment DiversityMost Diverse US StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.74 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Lean DemocratsPolitical Parties by State
    r = +0.73 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Hourly Mean WageVeterinarian Salary by State
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 47
    Plot
  6. Annual Median WageVeterinarian Salary by State
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 47
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Average (Minutes) tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. BBQ Ribs Search Volume IndexBest BBQ by State
    r = −0.77 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Suicide RateSuicide Rates by State
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Lean RepublicansPolitical Parties by State
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Average Pct of Households That Own Guns 2007–2016Guns per Capita
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. % of Households w/GunsBest States for Gun Owners
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. % of Households That Own GunsGun Ownership by State
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Average (Minutes)?
New York has the highest Average (Minutes), at 33.5, followed by Maryland (33) and New Jersey (32).
Which state has the lowest Average (Minutes)?
South Dakota has the lowest Average (Minutes), at 17.3.
What is the median Average (Minutes) across US states?
The median is 25.1 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this commute time by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Average commute time by state - Bank Rate; Commuting Journey to Work - US Census Bureau.

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