Map of the Month

Each month a new map is presented to the Commission to help explain important trends in the Bay Area, across the nation and around the world. These custom-crafted maps are prepared by MTC’s Data & Visualization team.

Megaregion Early Commute

This month's map is focused on the early-bird commute for workers living in the Northern California Megaregion. This region is home to approximately 12 million residents and 5 million commuters, of which approximately 582,000 travel during the early morning commute (defined as 6:00 am or earlier). Residents who live in the eastern portions of Contra Costa County and within the Counties of San Joaquin and Stanislaus have the largest share of total commuters traveling to work before 6 a.m. According to a recent study by the Bay Area Council's Economic Institute, the number of total interregional commuters (not just early-birds) has increased by 83,950 between 1990 and 2013, reaching a total of 191,500 in 2013. The growth of Northern San Joaquin Valley commuters to the Bay Area has been particularly dramatic, more than doubling from 31,670 in 1990 to 64,930 in 2013. The following map animation details the morning commute during the early morning, the AM Peak period (from 6 till 9 a.m.) and late morning (9 till 10 a.m.)View Map Animation