Commuting in Linn County, Iowa: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:07 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Linn County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:07 PM
Commute Time Burden in Linn County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Linn 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 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting. That is 1% less time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 0.1 minutes.
Linn County holds about 7.2% of Iowa's population but accounts for roughly 7.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Linn County would save about 56 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,743 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)
Linn County
16.9 min
33.7 min
141 hrs/yr
$4,356
1,073
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.
On average, it takes
16.9
minutes to get to work in
Linn County.
That's 25% 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 14.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Linn County
Car:
81.9%
Worked at Home:
14.7%
Walked:
1.8%
Public Transportation:
0.6%
Other:
0.6%
Bicycle:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Linn County: 5.2 times less than the Iowa average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in Linn County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Linn 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
Other
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Taxi
2009
91.7%
3.0%
3.2%
0.8%
0.6%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2010
91.5%
3.2%
2.9%
1.0%
0.8%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2011
91.4%
3.3%
2.9%
1.0%
0.8%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2012
90.8%
3.9%
2.7%
1.1%
0.9%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2013
91.3%
3.9%
2.6%
0.9%
0.7%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2014
91.7%
3.6%
2.4%
1.0%
0.6%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
2015
92.2%
3.4%
2.2%
1.1%
0.5%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
2016
92.4%
3.4%
2.1%
0.9%
0.5%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
2017
93.1%
3.2%
1.9%
0.7%
0.5%
0.1%
0.4%
0.0%
2018
93.2%
3.3%
1.7%
0.7%
0.6%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
2019
92.7%
3.8%
1.8%
0.6%
0.6%
0.1%
0.4%
0.1%
2020
90.0%
6.6%
1.8%
0.4%
0.7%
0.0%
0.4%
0.1%
2021
87.3%
9.4%
1.7%
0.3%
0.8%
0.1%
0.4%
0.1%
2022
85.1%
11.7%
1.8%
0.4%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
2023
82.7%
13.7%
1.9%
0.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2024
81.9%
14.7%
1.8%
0.6%
0.6%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2018 at 93.2%. Overall it fell from 91.7% in 2009 to 81.9% in 2024, down 9.8 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 6 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Linn County: its share of workers rose from 3.0% in 2009 to 14.7% in 2024, up 11.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 10.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.2% to 1.8% of workers (down 1.4 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2010 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Linn County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Linn County?
The bars show when commuters in Linn 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
12:00-4:59 AMLinn County4.7%Iowa5.2%
4.7%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMLinn County2.8%Iowa4.1%
2.8%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMLinn County5.3%Iowa5.7%
5.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMLinn County8.2%Iowa8.2%
8.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMLinn County12.3%Iowa11.2%
12.3%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMLinn County13.5%Iowa15.1%
13.5%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMLinn County15.7%Iowa15.6%
15.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMLinn County9.6%Iowa9.1%
9.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMLinn County4.6%Iowa3.6%
4.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMLinn County4.9%Iowa4.4%
4.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMLinn County2.9%Iowa2.3%
2.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMLinn County1.0%Iowa1.1%
1.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMLinn County7.9%Iowa7.5%
7.9%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMLinn County6.6%Iowa6.8%
6.6%
Linn CountyIowaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Linn County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 15.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.6% across Iowa. Early starts are less common than in Iowa: 12.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.9% there. The morning rush looks much like Iowa's: 51.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (23.3%) 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 Linn 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 Linn 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 Linn 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
Linn County
Iowa
United States
2009
7:37 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:36 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:39 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:38 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:38 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:37 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:36 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:34 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:35 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:36 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:37 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:37 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:38 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:37 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:36 AM
7:31 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:36 AM
7:31 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Linn County were on the road by 7:36 AM, almost exactly the same as in 2009. Across Iowa, meanwhile, the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Linn County now leave 2 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Linn County's commute time compare?
Metric
Linn County
Iowa
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
16.9 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
14.7%
11.3%
15.0%
Walked
1.8%
2.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.6%
0.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Linn County is about the same as in Iowa.
0.6% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in Iowa. 1.8% commute by walking, lower than the 2.9% in Iowa.
Linn County, IA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Linn County, IA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 230,016 residents against a local median of 20,896. The measure that sets Linn County, IA apart most is work from home: 14.7%, 28% above the local median of 11.5%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.9 min against a local median of 20.6 min, 18% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 18% below the local median it puts Linn County, IA at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 5.3% on work from home, so Linn County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Linn County, IA has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Linn County, Iowa.
Is commuting expensive in Linn County, Iowa?
Commuters here spend an estimated 141 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,356 at a typical national wage. That's 1% less than the typical Iowa commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Linn County, Iowa?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Linn 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.
Is Linn County, Iowa a good location for remote and hybrid workers?
About 14.7% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Linn County would save about 56 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,743 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Which counties in Iowa have the fastest and slowest commutes?
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).