The average Columbus worker spends 20.9 minutes getting to work, about 7 minutes less than the typical Georgian and 5½ minutes less than the national average.
That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey, which asks workers how they get to work and how long it takes. Here are 15 quick facts about how Columbus, Ga., commutes, and how it compares with Phenix City, Atlanta and the rest of Georgia.
1. Columbus has one of the shortest commutes in Georgia’s big cities
| Place | Average one-way commute |
|---|---|
| Savannah | 20.7 minutes |
| Columbus | 20.9 minutes |
| Phenix City, Ala. | 22.1 minutes |
| Macon | 22.2 minutes |
| United States | 26.4 minutes |
| Atlanta | 26.5 minutes |
| Georgia | 28.3 minutes |
Columbus and Savannah are nearly tied for the shortest commute among Georgia’s largest cities.
2. That adds up to about 2½ extra days a year for the average Georgian
If you commute 20.9 minutes each way and work 250 days a year, that’s about 174 hours a year behind the wheel. At Georgia’s average of 28.3 minutes, it’s about 236 hours.
The difference: about 62 hours a year, or about a week and a half of 40-hour work weeks, that the typical Columbus commuter gets back.
3. Almost a third of Columbus workers get to work in under 15 minutes
| Commute time | Columbus | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 minutes | 31.7% | 22.5% | 26.0% |
| 15 to 24 minutes | 42.5% | — | — |
| 30 minutes or more | 19.3% | 42.0% | 37.4% |
| 60 minutes or more | 4.5% | 10.0% | 8.6% |
Only about 1 in 5 Columbus commuters drives 30 minutes or more. Across Georgia, it’s more than 2 in 5.
4. The most common commute is 15 to 19 minutes
More Columbus workers (19,376) fall into the 15-to-19-minute range than any other. That’s about 1 in 4 commuters.
5. About 2,000 Columbus workers commute 90 minutes or more
Long-haul commuters are rare but real: 1,995 Columbus workers, about 2.6%, say their trip to work takes an hour and a half or longer. Another 1,530 commute between one hour and 90 minutes.
6. Nearly 3 in 4 drive alone
| How Columbus gets to work | Workers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Drive alone | 64,740 | 73.1% |
| Carpool | 8,865 | 10.0% |
| Work from home | 10,672 | 12.1% |
| Walk | 1,544 | 1.7% |
| Bus | 752 | 0.8% |
| Taxi or ride-hailing | 260 | 0.3% |
| Bicycle | 262 | 0.3% |
| Motorcycle | 173 | 0.2% |
| Other | 1,249 | 1.4% |
| Total workers | 88,531 |
Columbus drivers are more likely to drive alone (73.1%) than Georgians overall (70.9%) or Americans (68.8%).
7. Columbus carpools more than most
1 in 10 Columbus workers carpools, more than the Georgia (8.9%) and U.S. (8.5%) rates. Most carpoolers ride with one other person (5,666 workers), but 300 say they ride in a carpool of seven or more, likely a van or work crew.
8. Remote work is less common here than in Atlanta
| Place | Work from home |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | 29.7% |
| Georgia | 15.9% |
| United States | 15.1% |
| Columbus | 12.1% |
| Savannah | 11.5% |
| Phenix City | 10.6% |
| Macon | 9.5% |
About 1 in 8 Columbus workers works from home. In Atlanta, it’s nearly 1 in 3.
9. Fewer than 1 in 100 ride the bus
Only 752 Columbus workers, under 1%, take the bus to work. That compares with 1.1% across Georgia and 3.2% nationally, where big-city subways and trains push the number up.
Columbus’ public bus system is METRA Transit, which runs fixed routes across the city.
10. Walking beats biking about 6 to 1
1,544 Columbus workers walk to work, compared with 262 who bike. Some of the walkers are likely soldiers and workers who live on or near their job site.
11. About 1 in 9 Columbus households has no car
8,857 Columbus households, 10.9%, don’t have a vehicle. That’s almost twice the Georgia rate (5.9%) and above the national rate (8.4%).
| Place | Households with no vehicle |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | 14.2% |
| Macon | 11.3% |
| Columbus | 10.9% |
| Savannah | 10.5% |
| Phenix City | 8.6% |
| United States | 8.4% |
| Georgia | 5.9% |
Most carless households are people living alone:5,615 of the 8,857 (63%) are one-person households. Many are likely older residents who no longer drive.
12. Half of Columbus households have two or more cars
50.7% of Columbus households have two or more vehicles, and 4,853 households have four or more.
13. The longest and shortest commutes, by ZIP code
| ZIP code | Area | Average commute | Under 15 min | 45+ min | Work from home | No vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31820 | Midland | 25.9 min | 23% | 11% | 11.7% | 2.0% |
| 31903 | South Columbus | 25.0 min | 24% | 12% | 5.6% | 25.5% |
| 31906 | Midtown/East Columbus | 23.4 min | 37% | 12% | 13.6% | 18.6% |
| 31808 | Fortson | 21.8 min | 18% | 4% | 13.6% | 0.9% |
| 31907 | East Columbus | 21.2 min | 29% | 7% | 11.4% | 7.3% |
| 31909 | North Columbus | 20.5 min | 28% | 7% | 15.4% | 5.1% |
| 31901 | Uptown/Downtown | 19.1 min | 43% | 6% | 6.3% | 19.3% |
| 31904 | Northwest Columbus | 17.8 min | 36% | 4% | 13.4% | 13.6% |
Takeaways:
- Shortest commute: ZIP 31904 (17.8 minutes).
- Most likely to get to work in under 15 minutes:Uptown (31901), at 43%.
- Longest commute:Midland (31820), at 25.9 minutes. Many Midland residents drive across the county to work.
- ZIP 31903 has a long average commute and the highest share of households without a car (25.5%, about 1 in 4), which suggests some residents rely on rides, the bus or walking to get to jobs across town.
- North Columbus (31909) has the most remote workers, at 15.4%.
14. Phenix City drivers commute a little longer
Across the river, Phenix City-area ZIP codes have longer average commutes:
| ZIP code | Average commute | 45+ minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 36867 | 21.9 min | 12% |
| 36869 | 25.6 min | 11% |
| 36870 | 26.6 min | 14% |
15. Men commute farther than women
Among Columbus commuters, 21.9% of men drive 30 minutes or more, compared with 16.6% of women.
Bonus: when Columbus leaves for work
The Census also asks what time people leave home for work. The busiest half hour in Columbus is 7:00 to 7:29 a.m., when 13.4% of commuters head out.
| Leaving home | Columbus | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 4:59 a.m. | 2.8% | 5.3% |
| 5:00 to 5:29 a.m. | 5.8% | 3.8% |
| 5:30 to 5:59 a.m. | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| 6:00 to 6:29 a.m. | 7.7% | 9.2% |
| 6:30 to 6:59 a.m. | 12.0% | 9.8% |
| 7:00 to 7:29 a.m. | 13.4% | 14.8% |
| 7:30 to 7:59 a.m. | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 8:00 to 8:29 a.m. | 11.7% | 11.5% |
| 8:30 to 8:59 a.m. | 4.7% | 5.1% |
| 9:00 to 9:59 a.m. | 8.8% | 7.1% |
| 10:00 to 11:59 a.m. | 4.9% | 4.7% |
| Noon to 3:59 p.m. | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| 4:00 p.m. to midnight | 8.3% | 6.4% |
What stands out:
- About 1 in 3 Columbus commuters (32.6%) is out the door before 7 a.m., about the same as Georgia overall.
- Columbus has more 5 a.m. starters than the state (5.8% vs. 3.8%). Shift work at plants, hospitals and Fort Benning may help explain it.
- 1 in 12 Columbus workers (8.3%) heads to work between 4 p.m. and midnight, on evening and overnight shifts. That’s a higher share than Georgia’s 6.4%.
Best time to avoid traffic: with most of Columbus leaving between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m., heading out before 6:30 or after 9 should mean lighter roads.
What it means for you
- A short commute is a selling point. If you’re weighing a job in Atlanta against one in Columbus, the commute difference alone is worth about 62 hours a year.
- Getting around without a car is hard. With about 1 in 9 households carless and less than 1% of workers on the bus, transportation is a real barrier to jobs for some residents.
- Need a ride to work? METRA Transit runs bus routes across Columbus. Check routes and fares on the city’s METRA page or call Columbus 311 at (706) 653-4000.
Quick answers
What is the average commute in Columbus, Ga.?
20.9 minutes one way, compared with 28.3 minutes statewide and 26.4 nationally…