Johnson County Commute Time Map & Patterns

Help

Commuting in Johnson 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, 8:14 PM

Is the commute in Johnson County longer than the national average?

Map AI 9/24/26, 8:14 PM

Commute Time Burden in Johnson County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Johnson County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 145 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 2% more time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 0.4 minutes.

Johnson County holds about 4.9% of Iowa's population but accounts for roughly 5.0% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Johnson County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,792 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)
Johnson County	17.3 min	34.7 min	145 hrs/yr	$4,481	960
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

Sioux County (10.1 min)
Union County (10.4 min)
Cass County (10.6 min)

Slowest commutes among counties in Iowa

Monroe County (30.4 min)
Madison County (30.1 min)
Mills County (26.7 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Johnson County

Click a county to open it Explore the map →

Average commute time

On average, it takes 17.3 minutes to get to work in Johnson County. That's 23% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

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 13.7% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Johnson County

Public transit is unusually common in Johnson County: 5.4 times more than the Iowa average (3.7% vs 0.7%).

Biking is unusually common in Johnson County: 5.0 times more than the Iowa average (1.7% vs 0.3%).

Johnson County stands out for active commuting: 9.9% of workers walk or bike to work, 3.1 times the Iowa average of 3.2%.

Commute Mode Trends in Johnson County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Johnson 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	Public Transportation	Bicycle	Other	Motorcycle	Taxi
2009	78.0%	3.7%	9.1%	5.6%	2.3%	0.7%	0.4%	0.2%
2010	77.9%	3.7%	9.0%	5.9%	2.4%	0.4%	0.5%	0.2%
2011	77.7%	3.8%	8.9%	6.2%	2.1%	0.5%	0.6%	0.2%
2012	77.3%	3.6%	9.3%	6.3%	2.3%	0.5%	0.6%	0.2%
2013	76.3%	3.8%	9.7%	6.2%	2.4%	0.6%	0.5%	0.3%
2014	75.8%	4.2%	9.7%	6.2%	2.4%	0.7%	0.5%	0.5%
2015	76.0%	4.1%	9.3%	6.5%	2.4%	0.9%	0.4%	0.4%
2016	75.7%	4.3%	9.8%	6.3%	2.2%	0.8%	0.4%	0.4%
2017	76.6%	4.2%	9.3%	5.9%	2.3%	0.8%	0.5%	0.4%
2018	78.7%	4.0%	8.4%	5.5%	2.1%	0.7%	0.5%	0.1%
2019	78.4%	4.3%	8.4%	5.7%	2.1%	0.6%	0.5%	0.0%
2020	77.4%	6.6%	8.3%	4.8%	1.7%	0.8%	0.4%	0.1%
2021	75.8%	9.3%	7.8%	4.1%	1.8%	0.8%	0.4%	0.1%
2022	74.4%	10.9%	7.7%	4.1%	1.8%	0.8%	0.2%	0.1%
2023	72.4%	12.6%	7.9%	4.1%	1.9%	0.8%	0.2%	0.1%
2024	71.5%	13.7%	8.2%	3.7%	1.7%	0.8%	0.3%	0.1%

Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2018 at 78.7%. Overall it fell from 78.0% in 2009 to 71.5% in 2024, down 6.5 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Johnson County: its share of workers rose from 3.7% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2024, up 10.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 9.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 5.6% to 3.7% of workers (down 1.9 percentage points).

Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.

Commute Start Times in Johnson County

Night OwlThe 2nd-latest start among Iowa's 99 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 7:54 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Johnson County?

The bars show when commuters in Johnson 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		3.0%
5:00-5:29 AM		1.4%
5:30-5:59 AM		3.7%
6:00-6:29 AM		5.9%
6:30-6:59 AM		9.8%
7:00-7:29 AM		13.7%
7:30-7:59 AM		16.0%
8:00-8:29 AM		10.0%
8:30-8:59 AM		5.7%
9:00-9:59 AM		6.9%
10:00-10:59 AM		3.6%
11:00-11:59 AM		2.2%
12:00-3:59 PM		10.0%
4:00-11:59 PM		8.2%

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

The busiest time to head out in Johnson County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 16.0% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.6% across Iowa. Early starts are less common than in Iowa: 8.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.9% there. The morning rush looks much like Iowa's: 49.4% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.0% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (30.9%) 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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	Johnson County	Iowa	United States
2009	7:56 AM	7:35 AM	7:37 AM
2010	7:55 AM	7:34 AM	7:38 AM
2011	7:54 AM	7:35 AM	7:38 AM
2012	7:53 AM	7:34 AM	7:38 AM
2013	7:53 AM	7:34 AM	7:39 AM
2014	7:52 AM	7:33 AM	7:39 AM
2015	7:51 AM	7:32 AM	7:38 AM
2016	7:49 AM	7:32 AM	7:38 AM
2017	7:49 AM	7:32 AM	7:38 AM
2018	7:48 AM	7:31 AM	7:37 AM
2019	7:49 AM	7:31 AM	7:37 AM
2020	7:48 AM	7:31 AM	7:37 AM
2021	7:49 AM	7:31 AM	7:37 AM
2022	7:50 AM	7:31 AM	7:37 AM
2023	7:52 AM	7:31 AM	7:38 AM
2024	7:54 AM	7:31 AM	7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Johnson County were on the road by 7:54 AM, 2 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:56 AM). Iowa followed the same path, with the typical start moving 3 minutes earlier. Commuters in Johnson County now leave 16 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Johnson County has moved 5 minutes later.

How does Johnson County's commute time compare?

Metric	Johnson County	Iowa	US Average
Avg. Commute Time	17.3 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	07:00 AM – 07:29 AM	07:00 AM – 07:29 AM	07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home	13.7%	11.3%	15.0%
Walked	8.2%	2.9%	2.4%
Public Transit	3.7%	0.7%	3.2%

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

3.7% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.7% in Iowa. 8.2% commute by walking, higher than the 2.9% in Iowa.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Johnson County, IA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Johnson County, IA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 156,634 residents against a local median of 22,560. Where Johnson County, IA breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 40% above the local median of 9.8% at 13.7%.

The counties themselves spread 8.3% on work from home, so Johnson County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Johnson County, IA has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area	Population	One-way commute	Work from home	Typical departure
Johnson County, IA	156,634	17.3 min #3/6	13.7% #2/6	7:54 AM #6/6
Washington County, IA	22,560	18.2 min	9.8%	7:25 AM
Linn County, IA	230,016	16.9 min	14.7%	7:36 AM
Cedar County, IA	18,349	24.0 min	12.1%	7:12 AM
Iowa County, IA	16,507	18.8 min	8.1%	7:14 AM
Muscatine County, IA	42,559	15.6 min	6.4%	7:25 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Johnson County, Iowa.

How much does the average commute cost workers in Johnson County, Iowa?

Commuters here spend an estimated 145 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,481 at a typical national wage. That's 2% more than the typical Iowa commuter spends.

When is rush hour worst in Johnson County, Iowa?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Johnson 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.

Do people use public transit in Johnson County, Iowa?

Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 3.7% of commuters use it versus 0.7% in Iowa, making it a realistic option for many 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).