AVERAGE COMMUTE TIME INCREASED GRADUALLY OVER PAST 10 YEARS
Tracking commuter trends and transportation system demand helps gauge the ease with which residents, workers, and goods can move within the county. Traffic congestion adversely affects the efficient movement of goods, contributes to the expense of operating a car, and increases air pollution. Low-density land use patterns and long distances between destinations within the county, or between major job centers in other counties, can contribute to lengthy commutes, regardless of travel mode. However, residents may view these longer commute times as an acceptable tradeoff for more affordable housing or other quality-of-life factors. This indicator tracks average commute times, residents’ primary mode of travel to work, and hours of delay on freeways in the region.
TREND
In 2024, the average commute time to work for San Bernardino County residents was 32.8 minutes, compared with 32.3 minutes in 2023. Over the past 10 years, San Bernardino County average commute times have increased by 2.4 minutes.
Most San Bernardino County workers (74.5%) drove alone to their workplace in 2024. This is a decrease of almost six percentage points from ten years ago, when 80.2% of workers drove alone. The notable reduction in driving alone can be attributed to more people working from home. The percentage of residents working from home more than doubled over the past 10 years, increasing from 4.3% in 2015 to 10.3% in 2024.
WORKING FROM HOME REMAINS CONSTANT
Mean Travel Time to Work (in Minutes) and Percentage Driving Alone or Working from Home in San Bernardino County, 2015-2024
GEOGRAPHIC COMPARISON
San Bernardino County’s average commute time of 32.8 minutes is longer than the California average (29.7 minutes), the U.S. average (27.2 minutes), and all counties compared except Riverside (35.4 minutes).
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY COMMUTE TIME IS LONGER THAN MOST PEER REGIONS
County Comparison of Average Commute Time to Work in Minutes, 2024
Compared to peer regions, San Bernardino County has the highest level of commuters driving alone (74.5% in 2024), while the counties of Maricopa and Los Angeles have the lowest level (66.4% each). San Bernardino County also has the lowest percentage of workers working from home (10.3%) compared to the high of 17.8% of workers working from home in Maricopa County.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY RATE OF DRIVING ALONE HIGHER THAN COMPRABLE PEER REGIONS
County Comparison of Primary Mode of Travel to Work, 2024
Almost 507,000 residents work outside of San Bernardino County. Most of these residents work in Los Angeles County (224,327), followed by Riverside County (113,351) and Orange County (86,472). In contrast, almost 396,000 people commute into San Bernardino County to work. Of these, most commuting to San Bernardino County travel from Riverside County (152,527), Los Angeles County (129,937), and Orange County (41,004) to work. Approximately 446,000 people both live and work in San Bernardino County.
MORE RESIDENTS COMMUTE TO JOBS OUTSIDE OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY THAN LIVE AND WORK IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Intercounty Commuting Patterns, 2023
Arterial Pavement Condition in the “Good to Excellent” Range
The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works maintains a public dashboard reporting the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for roads it maintains throughout the county. The PCI is measured on a scale of 0 (failed) to 100 (excellent).
As of November 2025, the County’s average PCI was 63. Overall, 57% of street segments are rated very good or excellent (PCI 70 or higher), 14% are in good condition (PCI 55-69), 8% are fair (PCI 40-54), and 22% are in poor condition (PCI 39 or lower).