Commuting in Gem County, Idaho: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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How much time do drivers in Gem County spend on the road daily?
Map AI9/24/26, 1:22 PM
Commute Time Burden in Gem County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Gem County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 68% more time on the road than the Idaho average of 18.0 minutes each way, a difference of 12.3 minutes.
Gem County holds about 1.1% of Idaho's population but accounts for roughly 1.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Gem County would save about 101 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,127 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)
Gem County
30.3 min
60.5 min
252 hrs/yr
$7,816
1,290
Idaho
18.0 min
35.9 min
150 hrs/yr
$4,641
865
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
30.3
minutes to get to work in
Gem County.
That's 35% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 5 slowest counties in Idaho
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 11.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Gem County
Car:
83.7%
Worked at Home:
11.5%
Walked:
1.6%
Bicycle:
1.1%
Other:
1.0%
Taxi:
0.5%unusually high
Motorcycle:
0.4%
Public Transportation:
0.3%
Taking a taxi is unusually common in Gem County: 5.9 times more than the Idaho average (0.5% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Gem County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Gem 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
Bicycle
Other
Taxi
Motorcycle
Public Transportation
2009
89.9%
4.3%
2.4%
0.1%
2.6%
0.0%
0.3%
0.4%
2010
90.0%
4.7%
2.5%
0.2%
2.1%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
2011
88.4%
6.2%
2.1%
0.1%
1.9%
0.0%
0.3%
0.9%
2012
87.6%
6.7%
2.1%
0.1%
2.4%
0.0%
0.2%
0.9%
2013
86.9%
8.1%
1.5%
0.2%
2.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.6%
2014
85.0%
8.6%
2.4%
0.2%
3.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.6%
2015
86.7%
10.0%
0.6%
0.0%
1.3%
0.0%
0.9%
0.5%
2016
87.5%
8.7%
0.7%
0.2%
2.1%
0.0%
0.8%
0.0%
2017
87.6%
8.2%
1.9%
0.3%
1.4%
0.0%
0.6%
0.1%
2018
89.8%
7.1%
1.2%
0.3%
0.9%
0.0%
0.6%
0.1%
2019
89.5%
8.2%
0.8%
0.2%
0.9%
0.0%
0.4%
0.1%
2020
91.3%
7.0%
0.6%
0.1%
0.7%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2021
88.2%
9.9%
0.6%
0.3%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
2022
87.9%
9.6%
1.1%
0.2%
0.7%
0.0%
0.3%
0.2%
2023
83.9%
12.6%
1.4%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
0.4%
0.2%
2024
83.7%
11.5%
1.6%
1.1%
1.0%
0.5%
0.4%
0.3%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2020 at 91.3%. Overall it fell from 89.9% in 2009 to 83.7% in 2024, down 6.2 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 4 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Gem County: its share of workers rose from 4.3% in 2009 to 11.5% in 2024, up 7.2 percentage points.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.4% to 1.6% of workers (down 0.8 percentage points).
Biking overtook riding a motorcycle to become the 4th most common choice in the 2023 release and has stayed ahead since.
Working from home peaked at 12.6% in 2023 and has since fallen back to 11.5%.
Commute Start Times in Gem County
🧘Rush-Hour DodgersThe 2nd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among Idaho's 44 counties: only 37.7% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Gem County?
The bars show when commuters in Gem 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 Idaho for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMGem County11.3%Idaho5.2%
11.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMGem County4.4%Idaho3.5%
4.4%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMGem County8.1%Idaho5.1%
8.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMGem County12.6%Idaho7.9%
12.6%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMGem County5.9%Idaho10.3%
5.9%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMGem County13.4%Idaho14.2%
13.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMGem County10.4%Idaho14.5%
10.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMGem County8.1%Idaho10.6%
8.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMGem County3.7%Idaho5.4%
3.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMGem County4.9%Idaho6.3%
4.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMGem County5.7%Idaho3.3%
5.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMGem County3.0%Idaho1.6%
3.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMGem County5.0%Idaho6.3%
5.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMGem County3.7%Idaho5.9%
3.7%
Gem CountyIdahoSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Gem County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.2% across Idaho. Early starts are more common than in Idaho: 23.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.7% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Idaho: 37.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.6% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (22.2%) 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 Gem 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 Gem 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 Gem County next to Idaho 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
Gem County
Idaho
United States
2009
7:20 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:27 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:24 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:21 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:21 AM
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:19 AM
7:41 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:20 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:26 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:25 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:23 AM
7:41 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:22 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:25 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:17 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:18 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:19 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:17 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Gem County were on the road by 7:17 AM, 3 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:20 AM). Idaho followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Gem County now leave 20 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 Gem County has moved 4 minutes earlier.
How does Gem County's commute time compare?
Metric
Gem County
Idaho
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
30.3 min
18.0 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
06:00 AM – 06:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
11.5%
13.3%
15.0%
Walked
1.6%
2.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.3%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Gem County is 30.3 minutes, longer than the 18.0 minutes in Idaho.
0.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.5% in Idaho. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 2.6% in Idaho.
Gem County, ID Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Gem County, ID is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 20,614 residents against a local median of 26,771. The measure that sets Gem County, ID apart most is one-way commute: 30.3 min, 50% above the local median of 20.2 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 25.2 min on one-way commute, so Gem County, ID sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Gem County, ID has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Gem County, Idaho.
Is living in Gem County, Idaho good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 252 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,816 at a typical national wage. That's 68% more than the typical Idaho commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Gem County, Idaho?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Gem County, Idaho. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:00 AM – 06:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Which counties in Idaho have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Idaho, the shortest average commutes are in Custer County (8.9 min), Lemhi County (11.6 min), Madison County (12.0 min). The longest are in Camas County (49.5 min), Boise County (38.0 min), Lincoln County (32.0 min).