Commuting in Monroe 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, 8:34 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Monroe County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:34 PM
Commute Time Burden in Monroe County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Monroe County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting. That is 20% less time on the road than the Indiana average of 21.1 minutes each way, a difference of 4.2 minutes.
Monroe County holds about 2.1% of Indiana's population but accounts for roughly 1.7% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Monroe County would save about 56 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,748 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)
Monroe County
16.9 min
33.8 min
141 hrs/yr
$4,371
1,349
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
16.9
minutes to get to work in
Monroe County.
That's 25% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 89% of counties in Indiana
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 15.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Monroe County
Car:
73.8%
Worked at Home:
15.9%
Walked:
6.3%unusually high
Public Transportation:
2.0%unusually high
Bicycle:
1.0%
Other:
0.7%
Taxi:
0.1%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Walking is unusually common in Monroe County: 3.3 times more than the Indiana average (6.3% vs 1.9%).
Public transit is unusually common in Monroe County: 3.2 times more than the Indiana average (2.0% vs 0.6%).
Monroe County stands out for active commuting: 7.3% of workers walk or bike to work, 3.2 times the Indiana average of 2.3%.
Commute Mode Trends in Monroe County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Monroe 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
84.8%
4.3%
6.1%
2.7%
1.4%
0.5%
0.0%
0.1%
2010
84.0%
4.2%
6.5%
3.3%
1.4%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
2011
82.4%
3.8%
7.5%
3.9%
1.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.1%
2012
80.6%
4.3%
8.3%
4.2%
2.1%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
2013
80.0%
4.3%
8.1%
4.5%
2.5%
0.4%
0.0%
0.2%
2014
79.7%
4.1%
8.4%
4.4%
2.9%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
2015
79.9%
4.1%
8.4%
4.3%
2.8%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2016
81.2%
4.1%
7.9%
3.8%
2.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2017
81.7%
4.1%
7.4%
3.9%
2.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.1%
2018
81.8%
4.2%
7.5%
3.7%
2.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
2019
81.9%
4.3%
7.7%
3.8%
1.6%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
80.6%
7.7%
6.7%
2.9%
1.4%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
2021
77.6%
11.3%
6.4%
2.4%
1.4%
0.5%
0.1%
0.2%
2022
76.0%
13.2%
6.2%
2.4%
1.2%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
2023
75.0%
14.4%
6.3%
2.1%
1.1%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
2024
73.8%
15.9%
6.3%
2.0%
1.0%
0.7%
0.1%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Overall its share fell from 84.8% in 2009 to 73.8% in 2024, down 11.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Monroe County: its share of workers rose from 4.3% in 2009 to 15.9% in 2024, up 11.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 11.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 2.7% to 2.0% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 8.4% in 2014 and has since fallen back to 6.3%.
Commute Start Times in Monroe County
🦉Night OwlThe latest start among Indiana's 92 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 8:16 AM.
😴Sleeping InThe highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among Indiana's 92 counties: 35.8% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
🛌Hitting SnoozeThe 3rd-biggest shift to later mornings among Indiana's 92 counties: the typical start is 15 minutes later than in 2009.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Monroe County?
The bars show when commuters in Monroe 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 AMMonroe County3.6%Indiana6.7%
3.6%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMMonroe County1.8%Indiana4.5%
1.8%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMMonroe County3.4%Indiana5.6%
3.4%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMMonroe County4.8%Indiana8.5%
4.8%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMMonroe County7.5%Indiana9.9%
7.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMMonroe County9.4%Indiana13.8%
9.4%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMMonroe County13.7%Indiana12.3%
13.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMMonroe County10.4%Indiana9.6%
10.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMMonroe County9.5%Indiana4.4%
9.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMMonroe County9.2%Indiana5.2%
9.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMMonroe County6.2%Indiana2.5%
6.2%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMMonroe County2.3%Indiana1.2%
2.3%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMMonroe County9.1%Indiana7.5%
9.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMMonroe County9.1%Indiana8.0%
9.1%
Monroe CountyIndianaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Monroe County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 13.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.3% across Indiana. Early starts are less common than in Indiana: 8.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 16.9% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Indiana: 41.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.7% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (35.8%) 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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
Monroe County
Indiana
United States
2009
8:01 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2010
8:06 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2011
8:09 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2012
8:10 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
8:10 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2014
8:09 AM
7:34 AM
7:39 AM
2015
8:08 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2016
8:08 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
8:10 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2018
8:12 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2019
8:13 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2020
8:12 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2021
8:11 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2022
8:12 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2023
8:12 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2024
8:16 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Monroe County were on the road by 8:16 AM, 15 minutes later than in 2009 (8:01 AM). Across Indiana, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Monroe County now leave 39 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 Monroe County has moved 3 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Monroe County in the whole series.
How does Monroe County's commute time compare?
Metric
Monroe County
Indiana
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
16.9 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
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
15.9%
10.7%
15.0%
Walked
6.3%
1.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
2.0%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Monroe County is 16.9 minutes, shorter than the 21.1 minutes in Indiana.
2.0% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.6% in Indiana. 6.3% commute by walking, higher than the 1.9% in Indiana.
Monroe County, IN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Monroe County, IN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 140,965 residents against a local median of 31,021. Monroe County, IN's work from home, at 15.9%, runs 62% above the 9.8% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.9 min against a local median of 30.0 min, 44% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 44% below the local median it puts Monroe County, IN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 7.0% on work from home, so Monroe County, IN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Monroe County, IN has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Monroe County, Indiana.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Monroe County, Indiana?
Commuters here spend an estimated 141 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,371 at a typical national wage. That's 20% less than the typical Indiana commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Monroe County, Indiana?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Monroe County, Indiana. 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.
How common is public transit use in Monroe County, Indiana?
Public transit usage is notably higher here than typical: about 2.0% of commuters use it versus 0.6% in Indiana, making it a realistic option for many workers.
How much money can remote workers save in Monroe County, Indiana?
About 15.9% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Monroe County would save about 56 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,748 at the same national wage assumption used above.
How do commute times compare across counties in Indiana?
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).