Philadelphia to Baltimore distance

Philadelphia to Baltimore by road

The fastest driving route is 97.7 miles (157 km) long and takes about 2 hr 10 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-95 (65.5 mi) and I-495 (11.7 mi).

It goes through 3 states: Pennsylvania (20.3 mi), Delaware (23.6 mi), and Maryland (53.9 mi). That’s an average of 45 mph (72 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 1 stop of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 2 hr 30 min. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Philadelphia and Baltimore are 89.8 miles (144 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 9% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 109. The route runs almost straight. Of the 110 US driving pairs in this series, it ranks 92nd for detour (the average is 16%).

From Philadelphia, Baltimore lies to the southwest (bearing 240°), and from Baltimore, Philadelphia lies to the northeast.

Halfway between Philadelphia and Baltimore

Halfway along the straight line, 44.9 miles (72.2 km) from each city, is the point 39.6236° N, 75.8914° W. It falls near Chesapeake City (Maryland, pop. 749), 7.9 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 48.9 miles (78.6 km) from each city, near Chesapeake City (Maryland, pop. 749), 8.8 mi away. The two midpoints almost coincide (1.5 mi apart), because the road doesn’t stray far from the straight line.

Time zone

Philadelphia and Baltimore share the same time all year: both are on Eastern Time.

The two cities

Philadelphia and Baltimore sit at almost the same elevation: 35 ft (11 m) and 36 ft (11 m).

Philadelphia has 1.6 million people and Baltimore 569,997 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).