Des Moines County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCompare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Des Moines County.
Commute from My AddressCommute Time Burden in Des Moines County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Des Moines 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 114 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.
That is 19% less time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 3.3 minutes.
Des Moines County holds about 1.2% of Iowa's population but accounts for roughly 1.0% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Des Moines County would save about 46 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,415 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines County | 13.7 min | 27.4 min | 114 hrs/yr | $3,537 | 310 |
| Iowa | 17.0 min | 33.9 min | 141 hrs/yr | $4,383 | 606 |
| United States | 22.5 min | 44.9 min | 187 hrs/yr | $5,803 | 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
- Cass County (8.9 min)
- Sioux County (10.0 min)
- Carroll County (10.7 min)
- Monroe County (27.8 min)
- Madison County (27.3 min)
- Harrison County (27.0 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 13.7 minutes to get to work in Des Moines County. That's 39% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 78% of counties in Iowa
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM , followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM .
Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 4.3% work from home.
Commute mode distribution
- Car: 92.0%
- Worked at Home: 4.3%
- Walked: 1.8%
- Taxi: 0.8% unusually high
- Public Transportation: 0.7%
- Other: 0.3%
- Bicycle: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Motorcycle commuting is essentially absent in Des Moines County, versus 0.1% in Iowa.
Taxi commuting is unusually common in Des Moines County: 5.5 times more than the Iowa average (0.8% vs 0.1%).
How does Des Moines County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Des Moines County | Iowa | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 13.7 min | 17.0 min | 22.5 min |
| Departure Window | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 4.3% | 10.4% | 13.4% |
| Walked | 1.8% | 2.9% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3.5% |
The average commute time in Des Moines County is 13.7 minutes, shorter than the 17.0 minutes in Iowa.
The share of commuters using public transit is about the same as Iowa. 1.8% commute by walking, lower than the 2.9% in Iowa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Des Moines County, Iowa.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Des Moines County, Iowa?
Commuters here spend an estimated 114 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,537 at a typical national wage. That's 19% less than the typical Iowa commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Des Moines County, Iowa?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Des Moines County, Iowa. 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.
How do commute times compare across counties in Iowa?
Among counties in Iowa, the shortest average commutes are in Cass County (8.9 min), Sioux County (10.0 min), Carroll County (10.7 min). The longest are in Monroe County (27.8 min), Madison County (27.3 min), Harrison County (27.0 min).