Commuting in Charlevoix County, Michigan: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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Is the commute in Charlevoix County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:35 PM
Commute Time Burden in Charlevoix County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Charlevoix County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 146 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting. That is 18% less time on the road than the Michigan average of 21.3 minutes each way, a difference of 3.8 minutes.
Charlevoix County holds about 0.3% of Michigan's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Charlevoix County would save about 58 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,812 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)
Charlevoix County
17.5 min
35.1 min
146 hrs/yr
$4,530
900
Michigan
21.3 min
42.6 min
178 hrs/yr
$5,509
1,585
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
17.5
minutes to get to work in
Charlevoix County.
That's 22% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 70% of counties in Michigan
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 12.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Charlevoix County
Car:
84.0%
Worked at Home:
12.4%
Walked:
1.8%
Other:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.6%
Public Transportation:
0.3%
Taxi:
< 0.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Charlevoix County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Charlevoix 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
Other
Bicycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
90.9%
4.8%
2.5%
0.8%
0.3%
0.5%
0.0%
0.2%
2010
91.3%
4.6%
2.5%
0.9%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
2011
91.6%
4.7%
2.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
0.2%
2012
91.9%
4.1%
2.5%
0.7%
0.2%
0.3%
0.0%
0.2%
2013
92.2%
4.1%
2.1%
0.4%
0.3%
0.6%
0.0%
0.2%
2014
91.9%
4.8%
2.0%
0.4%
0.2%
0.7%
0.0%
0.1%
2015
91.2%
5.6%
2.0%
0.4%
0.1%
0.7%
0.0%
0.1%
2016
91.4%
5.4%
1.9%
0.3%
0.1%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
90.3%
5.7%
2.4%
0.4%
0.3%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
90.3%
5.6%
2.4%
0.6%
0.4%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
90.6%
4.7%
2.6%
0.7%
0.4%
1.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2020
90.2%
5.1%
2.4%
0.9%
0.5%
0.9%
0.1%
0.1%
2021
88.4%
6.9%
2.1%
1.0%
0.6%
1.0%
0.1%
0.1%
2022
87.0%
8.6%
1.9%
1.2%
0.5%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
2023
85.0%
10.9%
2.0%
0.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
84.0%
12.4%
1.8%
0.9%
0.6%
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 2013 at 92.2%. Overall it fell from 90.9% in 2009 to 84.0% in 2024, down 6.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Charlevoix County: its share of workers rose from 4.8% in 2009 to 12.4% in 2024, up 7.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 7.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.5% to 1.8% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Charlevoix County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Charlevoix County?
The bars show when commuters in Charlevoix 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 Michigan for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMCharlevoix County4.3%Michigan5.3%
4.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMCharlevoix County3.1%Michigan3.9%
3.1%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMCharlevoix County4.6%Michigan5.1%
4.6%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMCharlevoix County7.3%Michigan8.0%
7.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMCharlevoix County8.5%Michigan9.0%
8.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMCharlevoix County14.3%Michigan13.0%
14.3%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMCharlevoix County18.3%Michigan12.1%
18.3%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMCharlevoix County9.9%Michigan10.9%
9.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMCharlevoix County4.4%Michigan5.6%
4.4%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMCharlevoix County6.9%Michigan6.7%
6.9%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMCharlevoix County3.6%Michigan3.2%
3.6%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMCharlevoix County2.1%Michigan1.6%
2.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMCharlevoix County6.0%Michigan8.5%
6.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMCharlevoix County6.8%Michigan7.1%
6.8%
Charlevoix CountyMichiganSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Charlevoix County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 18.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.1% across Michigan. Early starts are less common than in Michigan: 12.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.3% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Michigan: 51.0% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (25.4%) 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 Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix County next to Michigan 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
Charlevoix County
Michigan
United States
2009
7:41 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:45 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:45 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:44 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:42 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:43 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:42 AM
7:43 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:44 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:44 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:44 AM
7:43 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:43 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:43 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Charlevoix County were on the road by 7:43 AM, 2 minutes later than in 2009 (7:41 AM). Across Michigan, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Charlevoix County now leave 5 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Charlevoix County's commute time compare?
Metric
Charlevoix County
Michigan
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
17.5 min
21.3 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
12.4%
13.5%
15.0%
Walked
1.8%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.3%
0.9%
3.2%
The average commute time in Charlevoix County is 17.5 minutes, shorter than the 21.3 minutes in Michigan.
0.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.9% in Michigan. 1.8% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Michigan.
Charlevoix County, MI Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Charlevoix County, MI is typical in size for this group, 26,108 residents against a local median of 24,127, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Charlevoix County, MI sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 3% below the local median at 17.5 min against 18.0 min. Charlevoix County, MI has the 3rd lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Charlevoix County, Michigan.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Charlevoix County, Michigan?
Commuters here spend an estimated 146 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,530 at a typical national wage. That's 18% less than the typical Michigan commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Charlevoix County, Michigan?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Charlevoix County, Michigan. 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 do commute times compare across counties in Michigan?
Among counties in Michigan, the shortest average commutes are in Luce County (11.4 min), Dickinson County (12.2 min), Schoolcraft County (12.5 min). The longest are in Lapeer County (31.3 min), Lake County (31.1 min), Livingston County (28.6 min).