Commuting in McLean County, Illinois: 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 long is the round-trip commute in McLean County?
Map AI9/24/26, 2:17 PM
Commute Time Burden in McLean County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in McLean 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 131 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 34% less time on the road than the Illinois average of 23.6 minutes each way, a difference of 7.9 minutes.
McLean County holds about 1.4% of Illinois's population but accounts for roughly 0.9% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in McLean County would save about 52 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,621 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)
McLean County
15.7 min
31.4 min
131 hrs/yr
$4,052
688
Illinois
23.6 min
47.3 min
197 hrs/yr
$6,104
1,547
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
15.7
minutes to get to work in
McLean County.
That's 30% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 88% of counties in Illinois
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 17.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in McLean County
Car:
77.0%
Worked at Home:
17.5%
Walked:
4.0%
Public Transportation:
0.7%unusually low
Other:
0.5%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is unusually rare in McLean County: 8.2 times less than the Illinois average (0.7% vs 5.8%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in McLean County: 12.4 times less than the Illinois average (0.0% vs 0.3%).
Commute Mode Trends in McLean County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in McLean 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
Public Transportation
Other
Bicycle
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
88.2%
3.3%
5.7%
1.4%
0.7%
0.4%
0.2%
0.0%
2010
88.5%
3.2%
5.2%
1.6%
0.7%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
2011
87.7%
3.5%
5.5%
1.6%
0.8%
0.6%
0.3%
0.1%
2012
88.5%
3.2%
5.1%
1.6%
0.6%
0.6%
0.3%
0.0%
2013
88.6%
3.0%
4.7%
1.9%
0.7%
0.6%
0.3%
0.1%
2014
88.6%
3.0%
4.8%
2.0%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
2015
89.0%
3.1%
4.4%
1.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
2016
89.6%
3.1%
4.1%
1.6%
0.6%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
2017
89.6%
3.6%
4.0%
1.6%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.2%
2018
89.2%
4.2%
4.1%
1.2%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.1%
2019
88.7%
4.7%
4.3%
1.1%
0.4%
0.4%
0.2%
0.3%
2020
86.7%
6.7%
4.2%
1.1%
0.5%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
2021
83.4%
10.5%
4.2%
0.8%
0.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
80.8%
13.3%
4.2%
0.7%
0.5%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
2023
78.3%
15.8%
4.1%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2024
77.0%
17.5%
4.0%
0.7%
0.5%
0.3%
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 2016 at 89.6%. Overall it fell from 88.2% in 2009 to 77.0% in 2024, down 11.2 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in McLean County: its share of workers rose from 3.3% in 2009 to 17.5% in 2024, up 14.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 12.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 5.7% to 4.0% of workers (down 1.7 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2018 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in McLean County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in McLean County?
The bars show when commuters in McLean 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 Illinois for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMMcLean County3.1%Illinois5.6%
3.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMMcLean County2.6%Illinois4.3%
2.6%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMMcLean County4.5%Illinois4.9%
4.5%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMMcLean County7.3%Illinois9.0%
7.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMMcLean County10.2%Illinois9.4%
10.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMMcLean County15.0%Illinois14.3%
15.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMMcLean County16.8%Illinois11.6%
16.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMMcLean County10.5%Illinois11.2%
10.5%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMMcLean County5.9%Illinois5.2%
5.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMMcLean County5.3%Illinois6.1%
5.3%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMMcLean County3.1%Illinois2.9%
3.1%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMMcLean County1.1%Illinois1.5%
1.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMMcLean County8.6%Illinois7.7%
8.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMMcLean County6.0%Illinois6.3%
6.0%
McLean CountyIllinoisSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in McLean County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 16.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.6% across Illinois. Early starts are less common than in Illinois: 10.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.8% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Illinois: 52.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.5% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.2%) 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 McLean 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 McLean 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 McLean County next to Illinois 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
McLean County
Illinois
United States
2009
7:41 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:42 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:42 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:43 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:42 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:41 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:41 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:43 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:43 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:44 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:44 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:42 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:41 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:41 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:42 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:43 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in McLean County were on the road by 7:43 AM, 3 minutes later than in 2009 (7:41 AM). Illinois followed the same path, with the typical start moving 1 minute later. Commuters in McLean County now leave 5 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does McLean County's commute time compare?
Metric
McLean County
Illinois
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
15.7 min
23.6 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
17.5%
15.9%
15.0%
Walked
4.0%
2.8%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.7%
5.8%
3.2%
The average commute time in McLean County is 15.7 minutes, shorter than the 23.6 minutes in Illinois.
0.7% commute by public transit, lower than the 5.8% in Illinois. 4.0% commute by walking, higher than the 2.8% in Illinois.
McLean County, IL Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
McLean County, IL is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 171,556 residents against a local median of 16,695. Where McLean County, IL breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 91% above the local median of 9.2% at 17.5%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 15.7 min against a local median of 22.6 min, 31% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 31% below the local median it puts McLean County, IL at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within 4.5% of each other on work from home, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and McLean County, IL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. McLean County, IL has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in McLean County, Illinois.
Is commuting expensive in McLean County, Illinois?
Commuters here spend an estimated 131 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,052 at a typical national wage. That's 34% less than the typical Illinois commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in McLean County, Illinois?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in McLean County, Illinois. 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.
How common is public transit use in McLean County, Illinois?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.7% of commuters use it versus 5.8% in Illinois, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in Illinois have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Illinois, the shortest average commutes are in Edgar County (12.0 min), Brown County (12.7 min), Morgan County (13.1 min). The longest are in Calhoun County (43.8 min), Pulaski County (31.2 min), Pope County (31.0 min).