Commuting in Delaware County, Indiana: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:21 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Delaware County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:21 PM
Commute Time Burden in Delaware County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Delaware County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 137 hours, about 5.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 22% less time on the road than the Indiana average of 21.1 minutes each way, a difference of 4.6 minutes.
Delaware County holds about 1.6% of Indiana's population but accounts for roughly 1.3% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Delaware County would save about 55 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,702 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)
Delaware County
16.5 min
32.9 min
137 hrs/yr
$4,255
1,364
Indiana
21.1 min
42.2 min
176 hrs/yr
$5,455
1,308
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
16.5
minutes to get to work in
Delaware County.
That's 27% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 95% of counties in Indiana
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 7.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Delaware County
Car:
86.9%
Worked at Home:
7.7%
Walked:
3.3%
Public Transportation:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.6%
Other:
0.5%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Delaware County: 13.6 times less than the Indiana average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Delaware County: 3.1 times less than the Indiana average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Delaware County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Delaware 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
Bicycle
Other
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
88.3%
3.0%
5.3%
1.9%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
2010
88.9%
2.6%
5.6%
1.9%
0.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2011
89.1%
2.2%
5.9%
1.5%
0.9%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2012
89.3%
2.4%
5.2%
1.6%
1.0%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
2013
89.3%
2.8%
5.0%
1.5%
1.0%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2014
89.0%
3.0%
4.8%
1.6%
0.9%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2015
88.7%
2.9%
4.7%
1.8%
1.1%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
2016
88.9%
2.9%
4.6%
1.8%
0.9%
0.7%
0.0%
0.2%
2017
88.1%
3.4%
4.7%
1.9%
0.9%
0.9%
0.0%
0.1%
2018
87.6%
3.3%
5.0%
1.9%
1.0%
1.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2019
87.3%
3.4%
5.3%
1.8%
0.8%
1.3%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
87.5%
4.6%
4.9%
1.4%
0.6%
1.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2021
87.7%
5.1%
4.2%
1.4%
0.5%
1.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2022
87.6%
5.7%
4.1%
1.0%
0.5%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
88.0%
6.0%
3.7%
1.1%
0.6%
0.6%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
86.9%
7.7%
3.3%
0.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2012 at 89.3%. Overall it fell from 88.3% in 2009 to 86.9% in 2024, down 1.4 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Delaware County: its share of workers rose from 3.0% in 2009 to 7.7% in 2024, up 4.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 4.3 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 5.3% to 3.3% of workers (down 2.0 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Delaware County
😴Sleeping InThe 2nd-highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Indiana's 92 counties: 31.3% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Delaware County?
The bars show when commuters in Delaware 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 Indiana for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMDelaware County4.4%Indiana6.7%
4.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMDelaware County3.2%Indiana4.5%
3.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMDelaware County4.4%Indiana5.6%
4.4%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMDelaware County8.2%Indiana8.5%
8.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMDelaware County9.7%Indiana9.9%
9.7%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMDelaware County11.8%Indiana13.8%
11.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMDelaware County14.3%Indiana12.3%
14.3%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMDelaware County8.0%Indiana9.6%
8.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMDelaware County4.6%Indiana4.4%
4.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMDelaware County5.4%Indiana5.2%
5.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMDelaware County3.3%Indiana2.5%
3.3%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMDelaware County2.2%Indiana1.2%
2.2%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMDelaware County9.2%Indiana7.5%
9.2%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMDelaware County11.2%Indiana8.0%
11.2%
Delaware CountyIndianaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Delaware County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.3% across Indiana. Early starts are less common than in Indiana: 11.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 16.9% there. The morning rush looks much like Indiana's: 43.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.7% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (31.3%) 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County next to Indiana 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
Delaware County
Indiana
United States
2009
7:50 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:50 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:51 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:54 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:55 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:55 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:52 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:51 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:49 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:48 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:46 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:47 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:48 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:48 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:45 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:47 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Delaware County were on the road by 7:47 AM, 3 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:50 AM). Across Indiana, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Delaware County now leave 10 minutes 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 Delaware County has moved 2 minutes later.
How does Delaware County's commute time compare?
Metric
Delaware County
Indiana
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
16.5 min
21.1 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
7.7%
10.7%
15.0%
Walked
3.3%
1.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.9%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Delaware County is 16.5 minutes, shorter than the 21.1 minutes in Indiana.
0.9% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.6% in Indiana. 3.3% commute by walking, higher than the 1.9% in Indiana.
Delaware County, IN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Delaware County, IN is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 112,280 residents against a local median of 48,970. Delaware County, IN's one-way commute, at 16.5 min, runs 20% below the 20.7 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 7.7% against a local median of 9.3%, 16% below it. The counties themselves spread 7.2 min on one-way commute, so Delaware County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Delaware County, IN has the 2nd lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Delaware County, Indiana.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Delaware County, Indiana?
Commuters here spend an estimated 137 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,255 at a typical national wage. That's 22% less than the typical Indiana commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Delaware County, Indiana?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Delaware County, Indiana. 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.
Which counties in Indiana have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Indiana, the shortest average commutes are in Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min). The longest are in Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).