Lake County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCompare commute patterns and ask AI Map about Lake County.
Commute from My AddressCommute Time Burden in Lake County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Lake County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 216 hours, about 9.0 full days, spent commuting.
That is 9% more time on the road than the Illinois average of 23.8 minutes each way, a difference of 2.1 minutes.
Lake County holds about 5.6% of Illinois's population but accounts for roughly 6.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Lake County would save about 86 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,672 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 25.9 min | 51.7 min | 216 hrs/yr | $6,681 | 2,906 |
| Illinois | 23.8 min | 47.6 min | 198 hrs/yr | $6,148 | 1,547 |
| 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: Illinois Counties
- Edgar County (12.1 min)
- Brown County (12.8 min)
- McDonough County (13.0 min)
- Calhoun County (46.4 min)
- Cook County (30.8 min)
- Kendall County (30.7 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 25.9 minutes to get to work in Lake County. That's 15% longer than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 86% of counties in Illinois
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM , followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM .
Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 17.3% work from home.
Commute mode distribution
- Car: 76.4%
- Worked at Home: 17.3%
- Public Transportation: 2.8%
- Walked: 2.0%
- Other: 1.1%
- Taxi: 0.2%
- Bicycle: 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
Bicycle commuting is unusually low in Lake County: 3.8 times less than the Illinois average (0.1% vs 0.5%).
How does Lake County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 25.9 min | 23.8 min | 22.5 min |
| Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 17.3% | 14.0% | 13.4% |
| Walked | 2.0% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.8% | 6.4% | 3.5% |
The average commute time in Lake County is 25.9 minutes, longer than the 23.8 minutes in Illinois.
2.8% commute by public transit, lower than the 6.4% in Illinois. 2.0% commute by walking, lower than the 2.7% in Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Lake County, Illinois.
Is living in Lake County, Illinois good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 216 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,681 at a typical national wage. That's 9% more than the typical Illinois commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Lake County, Illinois?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Lake County, Illinois. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Illinois?
Among counties in Illinois, the shortest average commutes are in Edgar County (12.1 min), Brown County (12.8 min), McDonough County (13.0 min). The longest are in Calhoun County (46.4 min), Cook County (30.8 min), Kendall County (30.7 min).