See what the average commute is in Essex County, NJ

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 longer commute than three out of four neighboring counties, with Passaic County, NJ having the shortest commute at 28.0 minutes.

Essex County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 34.8 minutes
--- 8.7% higher than state average
--- #6 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 19.0%
- Workers who drive to work: 66.2%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 7.0%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 20.1%
- Workers who work from home: 7.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 11.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 33.9%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Passaic County, NJ: 28.0 minutes
#2. Morris County, NJ: 31.1 minutes
#3. Union County, NJ: 31.3 minutes
#4. Essex County, NJ: 34.8 minutes
#5. Hudson County, NJ: 36.2 minutes

Counties with the best commute in New Jersey
#1. Cape May County: 22.3 minutes
#2. Cumberland County: 24.3 minutes
#3. Atlantic County: 24.9 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in New Jersey
#1. Sussex County: 38.0 minutes
#2. Hudson County: 36.2 minutes
#3. Warren County: 35.6 minutes