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Lower-income workers in Fairfax County are far more likely to drive to work—and much less likely to work remotely—than residents at the top of the income scale, highlighting a transportation gap with potential consequences for local policy.
Among workers earning less than $80,000 annually, 70.6% of workdays involved commuting by private vehicle. That figure fell to 51.4% for people earning at least $250,000.
The divide was even sharper for remote work. Telework accounted for 25.8% of days worked by the highest-income group, compared with just 10% for those making less than $80,000.
Differences also appeared in the use of Metro, carpools, biking and walking, though they were smaller than the gaps involving telework and private vehicles.
The figures come from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 164-page 2025 State of the Commute report. Released Jan. 21 during a Transportation Planning Board meeting, the report draws on approximately 7,500 commuter survey responses collected from March through June 2025. The survey is conducted every three years.
Daniel Sheehan, COG’s director of commuter connections, said Fairfax’s patterns match both the latest regional findings and results from earlier surveys. Higher-income occupations are more likely to include office-based duties that can be performed remotely, he said, while lower-income commuters throughout the region are more dependent on driving alone.
Sheehan said the findings matter for policymakers because some lower-income workers may have no practical alternative to driving. Transit availability, service frequency, reliability, travel time and the location of jobs can all limit their options.
He said the Transportation Planning Board places a priority on equitable access to quality transportation and that lower-income residents should have transit choices comparable in convenience and quality to those available to higher earners.
The report does not establish that transit service gaps are causing Fairfax’s disparities. Still, Sheehan said better reliability, more frequent service and an improved rider experience—particularly in lower-income communities—could expand access to alternatives to driving alone.
Across all income and demographic groups in Fairfax, an estimated 52.82% of commute-related trips in 2025 were made in single-passenger vehicles. Trains accounted for 12.84%, buses for 4.63%, carpools and vanpools for 2.95%, biking, scooters and walking for 1.29%, and taxis and ride-share vehicles for 0.71%. Telework represented the remaining 24.77%.
Fairfax Commutes Rank Among the Region’s Shortest
Despite the income-based differences in how residents get to work, Fairfax commuters have relatively short trips by regional standards.
The county’s average one-way commute was 35.57 minutes, the third shortest among 11 major jurisdictions in the Washington region. Only Arlington, at 31.04 minutes, and the District of Columbia, at 33.01 minutes, had shorter averages.
Alexandria followed closely behind Fairfax at 35.64 minutes.
Maryland’s Charles and Calvert counties recorded the longest average commutes, at 63.48 minutes and 56.2 minutes, respectively.
Fairfax also ranked fourth for average commute distance at 15.03 miles. The District had the shortest average at 8.33 miles, followed by Arlington at 9.02 miles and Alexandria at 11.21 miles. Calvert County had the longest average commute distance at 32.67 miles.