Commuting in Washington County, Idaho: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 5:58 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Washington County?
Map AI9/24/26, 5:58 PM
Commute Time Burden in Washington County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Washington County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 107 hours, about 4.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 29% less time on the road than the Idaho average of 18.0 minutes each way, a difference of 5.1 minutes.
Washington County holds about 0.6% of Idaho's population but accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Washington County would save about 43 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,324 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)
Washington County
12.8 min
25.6 min
107 hrs/yr
$3,311
425
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
12.8
minutes to get to work in
Washington County.
That's 43% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the top 5 fastest counties in Idaho
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 8.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Washington County
Car:
83.1%
Worked at Home:
8.3%
Walked:
4.7%
Bicycle:
3.0%unusually high
Other:
0.8%
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is essentially absent in Washington County, versus 0.5% in Idaho.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Washington County, versus 0.1% in Idaho.
Biking is unusually common in Washington County: 4.0 times more than the Idaho average (3.0% vs 0.7%).
Commute Mode Trends in Washington County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Washington 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
Motorcycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
2009
80.7%
7.4%
7.2%
2.1%
2.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
80.2%
9.8%
5.8%
1.5%
2.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
82.3%
7.7%
4.9%
1.5%
3.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
2012
84.3%
7.3%
5.1%
1.3%
1.6%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2013
85.0%
8.5%
3.2%
0.4%
1.6%
1.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
84.8%
8.0%
3.4%
0.4%
2.1%
1.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2015
84.4%
6.9%
3.7%
0.4%
2.9%
1.5%
0.1%
0.0%
2016
84.2%
8.6%
4.4%
0.1%
1.5%
1.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2017
82.7%
8.0%
5.8%
0.1%
2.6%
0.6%
0.1%
0.0%
2018
82.3%
7.0%
7.8%
0.1%
2.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
81.8%
7.6%
7.4%
0.2%
2.5%
0.0%
0.5%
0.0%
2020
81.1%
7.7%
6.6%
1.8%
2.2%
0.0%
0.6%
0.0%
2021
82.4%
8.0%
5.1%
1.5%
2.5%
0.0%
0.5%
0.0%
2022
82.4%
9.0%
6.0%
1.3%
0.8%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2023
84.9%
6.6%
4.9%
1.9%
1.0%
0.2%
0.5%
0.0%
2024
83.1%
8.3%
4.7%
3.0%
0.8%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2013 at 85.0% and lowest in 2010 at 80.2%. Overall it rose from 80.7% in 2009 to 83.1% in 2024, up 2.4 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Washington County: its share of workers rose from 7.4% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2024, up 0.9 percentage points. Most of that increase, 0.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 7.2% to 4.7% of workers (down 2.5 percentage points).
Working from home peaked at 9.8% in 2010 and has since fallen back to 8.3%.
Commute Start Times in Washington County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Washington County?
The bars show when commuters in Washington 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 AMWashington County3.3%Idaho5.2%
3.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMWashington County0.7%Idaho3.5%
0.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMWashington County4.9%Idaho5.1%
4.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMWashington County5.9%Idaho7.9%
5.9%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMWashington County14.4%Idaho10.3%
14.4%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMWashington County16.8%Idaho14.2%
16.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMWashington County13.0%Idaho14.5%
13.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMWashington County10.2%Idaho10.6%
10.2%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMWashington County6.5%Idaho5.4%
6.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMWashington County2.9%Idaho6.3%
2.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMWashington County2.0%Idaho3.3%
2.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMWashington County0.4%Idaho1.6%
0.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMWashington County13.4%Idaho6.3%
13.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMWashington County5.4%Idaho5.9%
5.4%
Washington CountyIdahoSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Washington County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 16.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.2% across Idaho. Early starts are less common than in Idaho: 9.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.7% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Idaho: 54.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.6% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.1%) 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington County
Idaho
United States
2009
7:44 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:46 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:48 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:48 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:52 AM
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:42 AM
7:41 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:38 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:22 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:39 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:29 AM
7:41 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:33 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:31 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:31 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Washington County were on the road by 7:39 AM, 5 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:44 AM). The shift is sharper than across Idaho, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Washington County now leave 1 minute 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 Washington County has moved 6 minutes later.
How does Washington County's commute time compare?
Metric
Washington County
Idaho
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
12.8 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
06:30 AM – 06:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
8.3%
13.3%
15.0%
Walked
4.7%
2.6%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Washington County is 12.8 minutes, shorter than the 18.0 minutes in Idaho.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.5% in Idaho. 4.7% commute by walking, higher than the 2.6% in Idaho.
Washington County, ID Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Washington County, ID is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 11,141 residents against a local median of 20,614. Washington County, ID's work from home, at 8.3%, runs 28% below the 11.5% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 12.8 min against a local median of 17.7 min, 28% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 28% below the local median it puts Washington County, ID at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 9.0% on work from home, so Washington County, ID sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Washington County, ID has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Washington County, Idaho.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Washington County, Idaho?
Commuters here spend an estimated 107 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,311 at a typical national wage. That's 29% less than the typical Idaho commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Washington County, Idaho?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Washington County, Idaho. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Washington County, Idaho?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.5% in Idaho, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
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).