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Emmet County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Commuting in Emmet 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, 8:27 PM
Is the commute in Emmet County longer than the national average?
Map AI 9/24/26, 8:27 PM

Commute Time Burden in Emmet County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Emmet County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 110 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 22% less time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 3.8 minutes.

Emmet County holds about 0.3% of Iowa's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Emmet County would save about 44 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,364 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)
Emmet County 13.2 min 26.4 min 110 hrs/yr $3,409 227
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

Emmet County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 13.2 minutes to get to work in Emmet County. That's 41% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Faster than 84% of counties in Iowa

The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 6.8% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Emmet County

  • Car: 87.3%
  • Worked at Home: 6.8%
  • Walked: 4.2%
  • Other: 1.6%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low

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

Public transit is essentially absent in Emmet County, versus 0.7% in Iowa.

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Emmet County, versus 0.2% in Iowa.

Biking is essentially absent in Emmet County, versus 0.3% in Iowa.

Commute Mode Trends in Emmet County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Emmet 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 Taxi Motorcycle Bicycle
2009 85.6% 11.3% 2.3% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.3%
2010 86.5% 5.0% 3.3% 0.8% 0.1% 0.0% 0.3% 4.0%
2011 86.7% 4.6% 3.8% 0.9% 0.5% 0.0% 0.4% 3.1%
2012 84.5% 4.7% 3.8% 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% 0.2% 5.4%
2013 84.7% 5.6% 4.1% 0.6% 0.7% 0.0% 0.2% 4.2%
2014 85.8% 5.6% 3.9% 0.2% 0.4% 0.0% 0.2% 3.9%
2015 88.5% 5.2% 5.0% 0.2% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.7%
2016 89.9% 6.1% 2.8% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 0.8%
2017 88.0% 7.0% 3.4% 0.7% 0.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.4%
2018 87.2% 8.2% 2.6% 1.1% 0.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.4%
2019 87.3% 8.4% 2.4% 0.9% 0.2% 0.0% 0.2% 0.5%
2020 84.9% 10.2% 3.1% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.4%
2021 85.4% 8.0% 4.3% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0%
2022 85.6% 7.2% 4.5% 2.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6%
2023 84.9% 6.9% 5.7% 1.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6%
2024 87.3% 6.8% 4.2% 1.6% 0.0% 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 2016 at 89.9% and lowest in 2012 at 84.5%. Overall it rose from 85.6% in 2009 to 87.3% in 2024, up 1.7 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.

Walking gained the most ground in Emmet County: its share of workers rose from 2.3% in 2009 to 4.2% in 2024, up 1.9 percentage points. Most of that increase, 1.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Working from home lost the most ground, falling from 11.3% to 6.8% of workers (down 4.5 percentage points).

Biking peaked at 5.4% in 2012 and has since fallen back to 0.0%.

Commute Start Times in Emmet County

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Emmet County?

The bars show when commuters in Emmet 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
8.2%
5:00-5:29 AM
7.1%
5:30-5:59 AM
6.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
11.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
11.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
8.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
14.1%
8:00-8:29 AM
12.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
3.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
2.5%
10:00-10:59 AM
1.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
0.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
7.9%
4:00-11:59 PM
4.4%

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

The busiest time to head out in Emmet County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.6% across Iowa. Early starts are more common than in Iowa: 22.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.9% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Iowa: 46.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.0% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.6%) 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 Emmet 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 Emmet 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 Emmet 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 Emmet County Iowa United States
2009 7:24 AM 7:35 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:26 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:35 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:27 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:34 AM 7:34 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:26 AM 7:33 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:26 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:18 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:19 AM 7:32 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:14 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:12 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:18 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:17 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:20 AM 7:31 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:24 AM 7:31 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:19 AM 7:31 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Emmet County were on the road by 7:19 AM, 4 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:24 AM). Iowa followed the same path, with the typical start moving 3 minutes earlier. Commuters in Emmet County now leave 19 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 Emmet County has moved 7 minutes later.

How does Emmet County's commute time compare?

Metric Emmet County Iowa US Average
Avg. Commute Time 13.2 min 17.0 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 6.8% 11.3% 15.0%
Walked 4.2% 2.9% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.7% 3.2%

The average commute time in Emmet County is 13.2 minutes, shorter than the 17.0 minutes in Iowa.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in Iowa. 4.2% commute by walking, higher than the 2.9% in Iowa.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Emmet County, IA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Emmet County, IA is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 9,262 residents against a local median of 16,461. Nothing separates Emmet County, IA sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.

The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 6% above the local median at 13.2 min against 12.4 min. Emmet County, IA has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Emmet County, IA 9,262 13.2 min #5/6 6.8% #4/6 7:19 AM #2/6
Palo Alto County, IA 8,863 12.3 min 4.9% 7:29 AM
Martin County, MN 19,780 12.7 min 7.9% 7:28 AM
Dickinson County, IA 17,990 13.9 min 10.5% 7:36 AM
Kossuth County, IA 14,516 12.4 min 7.2% 7:18 AM
Clay County, IA 16,461 11.8 min 6.1% 7:44 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Emmet County, Iowa.

Is living in Emmet County, Iowa good for avoiding long commute costs?

Commuters here spend an estimated 110 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,409 at a typical national wage. That's 22% less than the typical Iowa commuter spends.

When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Emmet County, Iowa?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Emmet County, Iowa. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Emmet 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.

Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among 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).