See what the average commute is in Essex County, MA

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 Essex County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Essex County has a shorter commute than three out of four neighboring counties, with Suffolk County, MA having the longest commute at 31.1 minutes.

Essex County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 30.2 minutes
--- 0.6% higher than state average
--- #5 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 15.0%
- Workers who drive to work: 82.1%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 8.4%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 5.2%
- Workers who work from home: 7.6%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 13.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 31.8%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Hillsborough County, NH: 28.0 minutes
#2. Essex County, MA: 30.2 minutes
#3. Rockingham County, NH: 30.5 minutes
#4. Middlesex County, MA: 31.1 minutes
#4. Suffolk County, MA: 31.1 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Massachusetts
#1. Nantucket County: 13.5 minutes
#2. Dukes County: 14.5 minutes
#3. Berkshire County: 20.4 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Massachusetts
#1. Norfolk County: 34.6 minutes
#2. Plymouth County: 33.2 minutes
#3. Suffolk County: 31.1 minutes