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Clayton County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Commuting in Clayton County, Iowa: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 6:14 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Clayton County?
Map AI 9/24/26, 6:14 PM

Commute Time Burden in Clayton County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Clayton County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 142 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting. That is 1% more time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 0.1 minutes.

Clayton County holds about 0.5% of Iowa's population and accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Clayton County would save about 57 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,765 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)
Clayton County 17.1 min 34.2 min 142 hrs/yr $4,412 318
Iowa 17.0 min 33.9 min 141 hrs/yr $4,382 606
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.

Commute Time Map: Iowa Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Iowa
  1. Sioux County (10.1 min)
  2. Union County (10.4 min)
  3. Cass County (10.6 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Iowa
  1. Monroe County (30.4 min)
  2. Madison County (30.1 min)
  3. Mills County (26.7 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Clayton County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 17.1 minutes to get to work in Clayton County. That's 24% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 8.3% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Clayton County

  • Car: 83.9%
  • Worked at Home: 8.3%
  • Walked: 4.1%
  • Other: 2.6%
  • Taxi: 1.0% unusually high
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low

Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Clayton County, versus 0.1% in Iowa.

Public transit is unusually rare in Clayton County: 14.1 times less than the Iowa average (0.0% vs 0.7%).

Taking a taxi is unusually common in Clayton County: 6.2 times more than the Iowa average (1.0% vs 0.2%).

Biking is unusually rare in Clayton County: 9.3 times less than the Iowa average (0.0% vs 0.3%).

Commute Mode Trends in Clayton County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Clayton 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 Taxi Public Transportation Motorcycle Bicycle
2009 87.8% 6.6% 4.8% 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% 0.1% 0.2%
2010 88.6% 5.7% 4.8% 0.4% 0.0% 0.3% 0.1% 0.2%
2011 88.8% 5.6% 4.7% 0.4% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2012 87.6% 6.7% 4.5% 0.6% 0.0% 0.5% 0.1% 0.1%
2013 87.0% 7.0% 5.2% 0.4% 0.0% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1%
2014 87.6% 6.6% 4.7% 0.5% 0.0% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1%
2015 87.4% 6.9% 4.7% 0.4% 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
2016 86.9% 6.8% 4.8% 0.8% 0.0% 0.4% 0.1% 0.2%
2017 87.2% 6.8% 4.5% 1.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.1% 0.1%
2018 87.0% 6.5% 4.3% 1.6% 0.0% 0.3% 0.1% 0.2%
2019 87.3% 7.0% 3.9% 1.4% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2%
2020 86.3% 8.1% 3.5% 1.9% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2021 84.9% 8.1% 2.9% 3.0% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
2022 83.4% 8.5% 3.6% 3.1% 1.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2%
2023 83.5% 8.7% 3.8% 2.8% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2024 83.9% 8.3% 4.1% 2.6% 1.0% 0.0% 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 2011 at 88.8% and lowest in 2022 at 83.4%. Overall it fell from 87.8% in 2009 to 83.9% in 2024, down 3.9 percentage points. It has risen in each of the last 2 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Clayton County: its share of workers rose from 6.6% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2024, up 1.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 1.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.8% to 4.1% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).

Taking a taxi overtook public transit to become the 5th most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.

Commute Start Times in Clayton County

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Clayton County?

The bars show when commuters in Clayton 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 Iowa for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.

12:00-4:59 AM
9.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
8.4%
5:30-5:59 AM
6.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
10.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
9.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
15.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
13.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
7.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
2.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
2.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
1.8%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.2%
12:00-3:59 PM
5.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
6.6%

Clayton County Iowa Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Clayton County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 15.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.1% across Iowa. Early starts are more common than in Iowa: 23.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.9% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Iowa: 46.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.0% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (18.1%) 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 Clayton 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 Clayton 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 Clayton County next to Iowa 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 Clayton County Iowa United States
2009 7:19 AM 7:35 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:17 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:15 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:17 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:18 AM 7:34 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:20 AM 7:33 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:16 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:17 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:19 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:18 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:16 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:19 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:17 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:14 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:11 AM 7:31 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:13 AM 7:31 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Clayton County were on the road by 7:13 AM, 6 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:19 AM). The shift is sharper than across Iowa, where the typical start moved 3 minutes earlier. Commuters in Clayton County now leave 25 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 Clayton County has moved 2 minutes earlier.

How does Clayton County's commute time compare?

Metric Clayton County Iowa US Average
Avg. Commute Time 17.1 min 17.0 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 8.3% 11.3% 15.0%
Walked 4.1% 2.9% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.7% 3.2%

The average commute time in Clayton County is about the same as in Iowa.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in Iowa. 4.1% commute by walking, higher than the 2.9% in Iowa.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Clayton County, IA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Clayton County, IA is typical in size for this group, 17,012 residents against a local median of 16,443, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Clayton County, IA's work from home, at 8.3%, runs 16% above the 7.2% typical of the counties around it.

The counties themselves spread 5.1% on work from home, so Clayton County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clayton County, IA has the 3rd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Clayton County, IA 17,012 17.1 min #5/6 8.3% #3/6 7:13 AM #1/6
Delaware County, IA 17,558 15.3 min 9.2% 7:20 AM
Allamakee County, IA 14,091 18.3 min 7.1% 7:14 AM
Fayette County, IA 16,443 16.7 min 7.2% 7:20 AM
Crawford County, WI 16,042 16.6 min 6.9% 7:22 AM
Dubuque County, IA 99,026 13.7 min 12.0% 7:31 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Clayton County, Iowa.

What is the financial impact of commuting in Clayton County, Iowa?

Commuters here spend an estimated 142 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,412 at a typical national wage. That's 1% more than the typical Iowa commuter spends.

What are the busiest morning travel hours in Clayton County, Iowa?

Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Clayton County, Iowa. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Clayton County, Iowa?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.7% in Iowa, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

How do commute times compare across counties in Iowa?

Among counties in Iowa, the shortest average commutes are in Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min). The longest are in Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).