Commuting in Marion 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, 5:01 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Marion County?
Map AI9/24/26, 5:01 PM
Commute Time Burden in Marion County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Marion County spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 129 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 9% less time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 1.5 minutes.
Marion County holds about 1.0% of Iowa's population and accounts for roughly 1.0% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Marion County would save about 52 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,601 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)
Marion County
15.5 min
31.0 min
129 hrs/yr
$4,002
450
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
15.5
minutes to get to work in
Marion County.
That's 31% 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 10.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Marion County
Car:
84.3%
Worked at Home:
10.2%
Walked:
3.3%
Other:
1.4%
Bicycle:
0.5%
Public Transportation:
0.2%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in Marion County: 3.6 times less than the Iowa average (0.2% vs 0.7%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Marion County: 5.3 times less than the Iowa average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Commute Mode Trends in Marion County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Marion 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
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
86.5%
7.0%
4.6%
0.8%
0.4%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
87.2%
6.9%
3.9%
0.9%
0.4%
0.6%
0.1%
0.0%
2011
87.4%
7.1%
3.8%
1.1%
0.2%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2012
87.3%
7.6%
3.4%
1.1%
0.2%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2013
88.0%
6.7%
3.6%
0.9%
0.5%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
87.3%
6.2%
4.4%
0.9%
0.7%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2015
87.7%
5.8%
4.3%
0.7%
0.7%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
2016
87.2%
5.8%
5.0%
0.6%
0.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
2017
87.2%
5.2%
5.7%
0.3%
0.9%
0.4%
0.3%
0.0%
2018
86.8%
5.4%
6.1%
0.3%
0.7%
0.4%
0.3%
0.0%
2019
87.9%
5.5%
5.0%
0.3%
0.6%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
2020
87.5%
6.2%
4.9%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2021
87.2%
6.9%
4.4%
0.6%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
2022
86.4%
7.4%
4.4%
1.0%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
84.9%
9.7%
3.7%
1.0%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
84.3%
10.2%
3.3%
1.4%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2013 at 88.0%. Overall it fell from 86.5% in 2009 to 84.3% in 2024, down 2.2 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Marion County: its share of workers rose from 7.0% in 2009 to 10.2% in 2024, up 3.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 4.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.6% to 3.3% of workers (down 1.3 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Marion County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Marion County?
The bars show when commuters in Marion 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 AMMarion County7.6%Iowa5.2%
7.6%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMMarion County6.7%Iowa4.1%
6.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMMarion County6.1%Iowa5.7%
6.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMMarion County9.9%Iowa8.2%
9.9%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMMarion County11.1%Iowa11.2%
11.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMMarion County13.4%Iowa15.1%
13.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMMarion County15.4%Iowa15.6%
15.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMMarion County7.4%Iowa9.1%
7.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMMarion County1.8%Iowa3.6%
1.8%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMMarion County3.7%Iowa4.4%
3.7%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMMarion County2.7%Iowa2.3%
2.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMMarion County0.7%Iowa1.1%
0.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMMarion County7.7%Iowa7.5%
7.7%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMMarion County5.9%Iowa6.8%
5.9%
Marion CountyIowaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Marion County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 15.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.6% across Iowa. Early starts are more common than in Iowa: 20.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.9% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Iowa: 47.2% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 51.0% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (20.7%) 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 Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion 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
Marion County
Iowa
United States
2009
7:23 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:24 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:23 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:22 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:24 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:21 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:21 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:24 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:28 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:26 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:27 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:23 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:23 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:20 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:21 AM
7:31 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:20 AM
7:31 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Marion County were on the road by 7:20 AM, 3 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:23 AM). Iowa followed the same path, with the typical start moving 3 minutes earlier. Commuters in Marion County now leave 18 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 Marion County has moved 7 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Marion County in the whole series.
How does Marion County's commute time compare?
Metric
Marion County
Iowa
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
15.5 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
10.2%
11.3%
15.0%
Walked
3.3%
2.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
0.7%
3.2%
The average commute time in Marion County is 15.5 minutes, shorter than the 17.0 minutes in Iowa.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.7% in Iowa. 3.3% commute by walking, higher than the 2.9% in Iowa.
Marion County, IA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Marion County, IA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 33,642 residents against a local median of 22,021. The measure that sets Marion County, IA apart most is one-way commute: 15.5 min, 28% below the local median of 21.5 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 14.8 min on one-way commute, so Marion County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Marion County, IA has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Marion County, Iowa.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Marion County, Iowa?
Commuters here spend an estimated 129 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,002 at a typical national wage. That's 9% less than the typical Iowa commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Marion County, Iowa?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Marion 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 public transportation a realistic commute option in Marion County, Iowa?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% 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).