Story County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Compare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Story County.

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You 8/20/26, 12:31 PM
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Map AI 8/20/26, 12:31 PM

Commute Time Burden in Story County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Story 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 130 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.

That is 8% less time on the road than the Iowa average of 17.0 minutes each way, a difference of 1.4 minutes.

Story County holds about 3.1% of Iowa's population but accounts for roughly 2.8% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Story County would save about 52 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,610 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)
Story County 15.6 min 31.2 min 130 hrs/yr $4,024 625
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

Fastest commutes among counties in Iowa
  1. Cass County (8.9 min)
  2. Sioux County (10.0 min)
  3. Carroll County (10.7 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Iowa
  1. Monroe County (27.8 min)
  2. Madison County (27.3 min)
  3. Harrison County (27.0 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

On average, it takes 15.6 minutes to get to work in Story County. That's 31% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

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 10.9% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 77.8%
  • Worked at Home: 10.9%
  • Walked: 5.7%
  • Public Transportation: 4.0% unusually high
  • Bicycle: 1.1% unusually high
  • Other: 0.4%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low

Motorcycle commuting is unusually low in Story County: 8.8 times less than the Iowa average (0.0% vs 0.1%).

Public Transportation commuting is unusually common in Story County: 5.4 times more than the Iowa average (4.0% vs 0.7%).

Taxi commuting is essentially absent in Story County, versus 0.1% in Iowa.

Bicycle commuting is unusually common in Story County: 3.3 times more than the Iowa average (1.1% vs 0.3%).

How does Story County's commute time compare?

Metric Story County Iowa US Average
Avg. Commute Time 15.6 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 10.9% 10.4% 13.4%
Walked 5.7% 2.9% 2.4%
Public Transit 4.0% 0.7% 3.5%

The average commute time in Story County is 15.6 minutes, shorter than the 17.0 minutes in Iowa.

4.0% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.7% in Iowa. 5.7% commute by walking, higher than the 2.9% in Iowa.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Story County, Iowa.

Is commuting expensive in Story County, Iowa?

Commuters here spend an estimated 130 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,024 at a typical national wage. That's 8% less than the typical Iowa commuter spends.

What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Story County, Iowa?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Story 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 Story County, Iowa?

Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 4.0% of commuters use it versus 0.7% in Iowa, making it a realistic option for many workers.

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).