See what the average commute is in San Mateo County, CA

American commutes are getting longer, with a U.S. Census Bureau report released in 2021 revealing the average one-way commute in 2019 reached a record high of 27.6 minutes. Combined with high gas prices, workers' daily commutes are increasingly time-consuming and expensive—so much so that some are calling for commutes to count as part of the workday.

Even worse are travel times for "super commuters"—that unlucky 10% of Americans traveling more than one hour each way to punch a clock.

Stacker compiled statistics about the average commute in San Mateo County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. San Mateo County has a longer commute than two out of three neighboring counties, with Santa Cruz County, CA having the shortest commute at 27.5 minutes.

San Mateo County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 29.4 minutes
--- 1.4% lower than state average
--- #17 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 10.9%
- Workers who drive to work: 74.8%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 9.9%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 10.1%
- Workers who work from home: 9.5%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 9.0%
- Worked outside county of residence: 40.1%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Santa Cruz County, CA: 27.5 minutes
#2. Santa Clara County, CA: 29.2 minutes
#3. San Mateo County, CA: 29.4 minutes
#4. San Francisco County, CA: 33.3 minutes

Counties with the best commute in California
#1. Del Norte County: 15.6 minutes
#1. Mono County: 15.6 minutes
#3. Inyo County: 17.1 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in California
#1. Calaveras County: 38.7 minutes
#2. Contra Costa County: 38.5 minutes
#3. San Benito County: 36.3 minutes