Contra Costa County Insights

Contra Costa County is growing! With this growth comes a higher demand for transportation options. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), as well as a growing number of people commuting to and from work, which puts a strain on our roadways and transit system. It is important that we take thoughtful steps to address these issues.

A higher demand than ever

The number of people living in Contra Costa County has increased by over 20% in the past decade, and this trend is expected to continue.
According to Caltrans, in 2022, the average daily VMT in Contra Costa County was over 100 million. This is a significant increase from the 80 million VMTs recorded in 2010, and is likely due to a number of factors including: population growth, economic development, and the rise of ride-hailing services.

Vehicle miles traveled

How to read this chart

Loading road network...
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is an excellent measure of a corridor's performance. For example: if you were to drive the full length of a corridor (20 miles) one time in a month, you would be contributing 20 vehicle miles traveled (VMT). If you drove one work week (M-F), you would be contributing 100 VMT.
Such an increase in VMT will have negative impacts on our community, including:
  1. Increased traffic congestion
  2. Air pollution
  3. Greenhouse gas emissions
  4. Safety concerns
It is important that we take steps to reduce VMT and make our transportation system more sustainable. Some of the things we can do to reduce VMT include:
  1. Investing in public transportation
  2. Promoting bicycling and walking
  3. Making it easier for people to telecommute
  4. Enacting congestion pricing

Regional CCC Origin-Destination

Average Travel Times Between Regions in Jan 2022 - April 2022 (weekdays: M-Th)

How to read this chart

The Regional CCC Origin-Destination (O-D) data shows us where people are traveling to and from in Contra Costa County.
It is important that we take steps to reduce VMT and make our transportation system more sustainable.
The data also shows that the most used areas in Contra Costa County are:
  1. The I-680 corridor
  2. The I-80 corridor
  3. The I-580 corridor