How long is the commute from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Name: Commute and cars in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Workers who live in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA take an average of 26.2 minutes to get to work (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

64.7% of workers drive alone to work.

0.1% take public transportation.

1.2% of workers walk to work.

25.4% work from home.

4.5% of households have no vehicle.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Average commute: 26.2 minutes (±1.2)
Public transportation: 0.1%
Work from home: 25.4%
Households without a car: 4.5%

How people in Rancho Santa Margarita get to work

Workers 16 and over by means of transportation to work, 2020–2024
Means of transportation	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
Drove alone	64.7% (±2.8 points)	67.5%	65.7%	68.8%
Carpooled	7.5% (±1.8 points)	8.9%	9.5%	8.5%
Public transportation	0.1% (±0.1 points)	1.2%	2.9%	3.2%
Walked	1.2% (±0.7 points)	1.7%	2.4%	2.4%
Other means (bicycle, taxi, motorcycle)	1.1% (±0.6 points)	2.2%	2.4%	2.0%
Worked from home	25.4% (±2.4 points)	18.5%	17.2%	15.1%

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the average commute is not measurably different from Orange County (26.7 minutes).

It is also lower than in California (28.7 minutes).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (26.4 minutes).

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the share commuting by public transportation is lower than in Orange County (1.2%).

It is also lower than in California (2.9%).

It is lower than the national figure (3.2%).

In Orange County, Rancho Santa Margarita ranks 27 of 42 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest average commute.

Statewide, it ranks 639 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

Cars per household in Rancho Santa Margarita

Occupied housing units by vehicles available, 2020–2024
Vehicles available	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
No vehicle	4.5% (±1.8 points)	4.8%	7.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	23.7% (±2.6 points)	28.1%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	45.2% (±2.9 points)	40.3%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	26.5% (±2.4 points)	26.8%	25.8%	21.9%

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the share of households without a vehicle is not measurably different from Orange County (4.8%).

It is also lower than in California (7.1%).

It is lower than the national figure (8.4%).

Working from home and internet access in Rancho Santa Margarita

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
Workers working from home	25.4% (±2.4 points)	18.5% (±0.3 points)	17.2% (±0.1 points)	15.1%
Households with a computer	98.3% (±0.8 points)	97.9% (±0.1 points)	96.9% (±0.1 points)	95.5%
Households with broadband internet	96.8% (±1.1 points)	95.0% (±0.2 points)	93.5% (±0.1 points)	91.0%

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the share of households with a broadband subscription is higher than in Orange County (95.0%).

It is also higher than in California (93.5%).

It is higher than the national figure (91.0%).

Average commute in places near Rancho Santa Margarita

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Rancho Santa Margarita
Place	Distance	Average commute	Compared with this place
Rancho Santa Margarita	—	26.2 minutes (±1.2)	—
Coto de Caza	2.5 mi	31.5 minutes (±1.9)	Higher
Trabuco Canyon	3.2 mi	35.0 minutes (±3.6)	Higher
Las Flores	3.6 mi	26.1 minutes (±3.4)	Not measurably different
Mission Viejo	3.7 mi	26.6 minutes (±1.0)	Not measurably different
Lake Forest	4.7 mi	25.5 minutes (±0.9)	Not measurably different
Ladera Ranch	6.3 mi	27.2 minutes (±2.2)	Not measurably different
Laguna Hills	6.3 mi	27.4 minutes (±3.6)	Not measurably different
Laguna Woods	7.7 mi	19.8 minutes (±2.3)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Laguna Woods, CA (19.8 minutes).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Coto de Caza, CA (31.5 minutes), Trabuco Canyon, CA (35.0 minutes).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Average commute across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Average commute
20 (tie)	Laguna Hills	27.4 minutes (±3.6)
22	Ladera Ranch	27.2 minutes (±2.2)
23	Westminster	27.0 minutes (±0.8)
24 (tie)	Mission Viejo	26.6 minutes (±1.0)
24 (tie)	Placentia	26.6 minutes (±1.7)
26	San Juan Capistrano	26.5 minutes (±2.5)
27	Rancho Santa Margarita	26.2 minutes (±1.2)
28	Las Flores	26.1 minutes (±3.4)
29	Fountain Valley	26.0 minutes (±1.0)
30	Laguna Niguel	25.9 minutes (±1.2)
31	Orange	25.8 minutes (±0.7)
32	Lake Forest	25.5 minutes (±0.9)
33	Aliso Viejo	25.1 minutes (±1.1)

Showing 13 of 42 places in Orange County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Rancho Santa Margarita

How long is the average commute in Rancho Santa Margarita?

Workers who live in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA take an average of 26.2 minutes each way (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Can you live in Rancho Santa Margarita without a car?

4.5% of households in Rancho Santa Margarita have no vehicle, and 0.1% of workers commute by public transportation.

How many people work from home in Rancho Santa Margarita?

25.4% (±2.4 points) of workers who live in Rancho Santa Margarita worked from home, and 96.8% of households have a broadband subscription.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Rancho Santa Margarita city, California (place:59587, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP03_0018E, DP03_0018M, DP03_0025E, DP03_0025M, DP03_0019PE, DP03_0019PM, DP03_0020PE, DP03_0020PM, DP03_0021PE, DP03_0021PM, DP03_0022PE, DP03_0022PM, DP03_0023PE, DP03_0023PM, DP03_0024PE, DP03_0024PM, DP04_0058PE, DP04_0058PM, DP04_0059PE, DP04_0059PM, DP04_0060PE, DP04_0060PM, DP04_0061PE, DP04_0061PM, DP02_0153PE, DP02_0153PM, DP02_0154PE, DP02_0154PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.