Commuting in Howard County, Arkansas: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:26 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Howard County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:26 PM
Commute Time Burden in Howard County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Howard County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 28% less time on the road than the Arkansas average of 18.6 minutes each way, a difference of 5.2 minutes.
Howard County holds about 0.4% of Arkansas's population but accounts for roughly 0.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Howard County would save about 45 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,384 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Area
One-Way Commute
Daily Round-Trip
Yearly Time Spent
Estimated Yearly Cost
Local Road Traffic (VPD)
Howard County
13.4 min
26.8 min
112 hrs/yr
$3,461
308
Arkansas
18.6 min
37.2 min
155 hrs/yr
$4,807
912
United States
22.4 min
44.8 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,790
1,355
The estimated yearly cost applies a single national rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area - treat it
as a rough estimate, not a paycheck figure. Local road traffic counts, vehicles per day
on non-highway roads, come from proprietary
Ticon and
TrafficZoom data.
On average, it takes
13.4
minutes to get to work in
Howard County.
That's 40% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the top 3 fastest counties in Arkansas
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 3.0% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Howard County
Car:
92.1%
Worked at Home:
3.0%
Walked:
2.8%
Other:
1.3%
Public Transportation:
0.7%
Bicycle:
< 0.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Howard County, versus 0.1% in Arkansas.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Howard County, versus 0.1% in Arkansas.
Commute Mode Trends in Howard County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Howard County get to work, as a share of all workers aged 16 and over, across 16 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) releases from 2009 to 2024. Each release is a 5-year estimate: the 2024 figures cover surveys taken from 2020 to 2024. Because neighboring releases share most of their survey years, the lines move gradually, and a sudden change such as the rise of remote work in 2020 spreads across several releases. Hover over or tap a line to highlight it, and use the legend to show or hide a mode. Driving starts hidden so the smaller modes stay readable.
Share of workers aged 16 and over, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show commute mode data by year
Year
Car
Worked at Home
Walked
Other
Public Transportation
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
94.5%
1.8%
1.7%
1.3%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
93.0%
2.9%
2.1%
1.3%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
93.7%
3.0%
1.5%
0.9%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2012
91.5%
3.9%
2.0%
1.7%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2013
92.1%
3.5%
1.3%
2.0%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2014
90.6%
4.0%
3.1%
1.2%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
88.5%
4.4%
3.6%
1.5%
1.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
87.9%
5.3%
4.0%
1.2%
1.5%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
92.8%
3.0%
2.5%
0.5%
1.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
91.9%
3.5%
3.1%
0.3%
1.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
94.1%
2.7%
1.4%
0.5%
1.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
94.5%
2.5%
2.6%
0.1%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
94.9%
2.4%
2.6%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
94.6%
2.7%
2.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
93.9%
2.3%
3.2%
0.0%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
92.1%
3.0%
2.8%
1.3%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2021 at 94.9% and lowest in 2016 at 87.9%. Overall it fell from 94.5% in 2009 to 92.1% in 2024, down 2.4 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 3 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Howard County: its share of workers rose from 1.8% in 2009 to 3.0% in 2024, up 1.2 percentage points.
Working from home peaked at 5.3% in 2016 and has since fallen back to 3.0%.
Commute Start Times in Howard County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Howard County?
The bars show when commuters in Howard County leave home for work, as a share of everyone who commutes (people who work from home are not counted), from the 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The thin violet marks show Arkansas for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMHoward County7.8%Arkansas5.6%
7.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMHoward County6.9%Arkansas4.1%
6.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMHoward County3.3%Arkansas5.2%
3.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMHoward County12.2%Arkansas9.3%
12.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMHoward County9.2%Arkansas11.2%
9.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMHoward County14.5%Arkansas17.5%
14.5%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMHoward County14.7%Arkansas13.9%
14.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMHoward County9.8%Arkansas9.2%
9.8%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMHoward County1.9%Arkansas3.6%
1.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMHoward County2.2%Arkansas4.5%
2.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMHoward County0.6%Arkansas2.2%
0.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMHoward County0.3%Arkansas1.1%
0.3%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMHoward County7.7%Arkansas6.2%
7.7%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMHoward County9.0%Arkansas6.4%
9.0%
Howard CountyArkansasSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Howard County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.9% across Arkansas. Early starts are more common than in Arkansas: 18.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Arkansas: 48.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.9% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (19.7%) leave at 9 AM or later, which usually points to shift work, flexible hours or part-time jobs.
When people leave matters as much as how far they go. Rush-hour traffic shrinks how much ground a 20-minute trip covers, so a trade area drawn as a simple circle often takes in neighborhoods that customers or staff would never drive from and misses others that are an easy trip. A drive-time zone, also called an isochrone, outlines every place within a set number of minutes of an address, which makes it the more honest way to size a store's catchment, a hiring area or the commute from a new home.
See it for yourself on the interactive map: click any spot in Howard County, pick a 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute drive and see the local demographics of the people who live within that exact drive time.
Is Howard County Waking Up Earlier? Typical Departure Time, 2009-2024
Each line follows the typical (median) departure time: the moment by which half of commuters have already left home. Higher on the chart means a later start. Setting Howard County next to Arkansas and the U.S. shows whether local mornings are drifting earlier or later than everyone else's. The figures span 16 ACS 5-year releases, so changes build up gradually rather than jumping from one year to the next.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
Howard County
Arkansas
United States
2009
7:18 AM
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:25 AM
7:28 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:26 AM
7:28 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:28 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:38 AM
7:27 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:32 AM
7:27 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:29 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:23 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:27 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:17 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:09 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:10 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:16 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:06 AM
7:26 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:19 AM
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:22 AM
7:25 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Howard County were on the road by 7:22 AM, 5 minutes later than in 2009 (7:18 AM). That goes against the trend across Arkansas, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Howard County now leave 16 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Howard County has moved 14 minutes later.
How does Howard County's commute time compare?
Metric
Howard County
Arkansas
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
13.4 min
18.6 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
3.0%
8.8%
15.0%
Walked
2.8%
1.4%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.7%
0.3%
3.2%
The average commute time in Howard County is 13.4 minutes, shorter than the 18.6 minutes in Arkansas.
0.7% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.3% in Arkansas. 2.8% commute by walking, higher than the 1.4% in Arkansas.
Howard County, AR Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Howard County, AR is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 12,583 residents against a local median of 15,710. Where Howard County, AR breaks from the counties next to it is one-way commute, sitting 29% below the local median of 18.8 min at 13.4 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 3.0% against a local median of 3.9%, 23% below it. The counties themselves spread 14.3 min on one-way commute, so Howard County, AR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Howard County, AR has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Howard County, Arkansas.
Is commuting expensive in Howard County, Arkansas?
Commuters here spend an estimated 112 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,461 at a typical national wage. That's 28% less than the typical Arkansas commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Howard County, Arkansas?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Howard County, Arkansas. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Arkansas?
Among counties in Arkansas, the shortest average commutes are in Arkansas County (11.9 min), Phillips County (13.2 min), Howard County (13.4 min). The longest are in Perry County (32.2 min), Newton County (31.6 min), Madison County (31.1 min).