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Iron County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Commuting in Iron County, Michigan: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 8:00 PM
How much time do drivers in Iron County spend on the road daily?
Map AI 9/24/26, 8:00 PM

Commute Time Burden in Iron County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Iron County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 35% less time on the road than the Michigan average of 21.3 minutes each way, a difference of 7.4 minutes.

Iron County holds about 0.1% of Michigan's population and accounts for roughly 0.1% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Iron County would save about 46 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,440 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)
Iron County 13.9 min 27.9 min 116 hrs/yr $3,601 219
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.

Commute Time Map: Michigan Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Michigan
  1. Luce County (11.4 min)
  2. Dickinson County (12.2 min)
  3. Schoolcraft County (12.5 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Michigan
  1. Lapeer County (31.3 min)
  2. Lake County (31.1 min)
  3. Livingston County (28.6 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Iron County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 13.9 minutes to get to work in Iron County. That's 38% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Faster than 89% of counties in Michigan

The most common departure window is 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 11.6% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Iron County

  • Car: 83.1%
  • Worked at Home: 11.6%
  • Walked: 3.0%
  • Other: 2.1%
  • Bicycle: 0.2%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1%
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low

Public transit is essentially absent in Iron County, versus 0.9% in Michigan.

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Iron County, versus 0.1% in Michigan.

Commute Mode Trends in Iron County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Iron 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 Motorcycle Public Transportation Taxi
2009 91.3% 2.9% 4.9% 0.5% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0%
2010 90.0% 4.0% 4.9% 0.6% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0%
2011 90.6% 3.6% 4.8% 0.5% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
2012 90.3% 3.9% 4.8% 0.3% 0.6% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2013 91.5% 3.1% 4.4% 0.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
2014 90.9% 4.4% 3.6% 0.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2015 92.2% 3.7% 2.7% 0.5% 0.5% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0%
2016 90.4% 5.5% 2.8% 0.4% 0.4% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0%
2017 91.3% 6.0% 1.8% 0.4% 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0%
2018 89.9% 6.5% 2.8% 0.3% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.0%
2019 91.6% 5.6% 2.4% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0%
2020 89.1% 7.5% 3.2% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
2021 88.9% 6.8% 3.3% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
2022 86.5% 7.6% 3.8% 2.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2023 86.3% 7.9% 3.4% 2.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2024 83.1% 11.6% 3.0% 2.1% 0.2% 0.1% 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 2015 at 92.2%. Overall it fell from 91.3% in 2009 to 83.1% in 2024, down 8.2 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.

Working from home gained the most ground in Iron County: its share of workers rose from 2.9% in 2009 to 11.6% in 2024, up 8.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 6.0 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.9% to 3.0% of workers (down 1.9 percentage points).

Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2014 release and has stayed ahead since.

Commute Start Times in Iron County

  • Dawn PatrolThe highest share of pre-6 AM departures among Michigan's 83 counties: 31.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM.
  • Early BirdThe 2nd-earliest start among Michigan's 83 counties: half of commuters are on the road by 7:03 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Iron County?

The bars show when commuters in Iron 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
15.6%
5:00-5:29 AM
7.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
7.7%
6:00-6:29 AM
6.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
11.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
10.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
11.9%
8:00-8:29 AM
6.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
3.3%
9:00-9:59 AM
4.0%
10:00-10:59 AM
0.8%
11:00-11:59 AM
1.9%
12:00-3:59 PM
7.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
5.4%

Iron County Michigan Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Iron County is 12:00-4:59 AM, when 15.6% of commuters leave home, compared with 5.3% across Michigan. Early starts are more common than in Michigan: 31.2% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.3% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Michigan: 39.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 45.0% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (19.5%) 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 Iron 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 Iron 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 Iron 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 Iron County Michigan United States
2009 7:17 AM 7:44 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:10 AM 7:45 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:14 AM 7:45 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:16 AM 7:45 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:15 AM 7:45 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:10 AM 7:45 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:14 AM 7:44 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:17 AM 7:44 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:15 AM 7:43 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:17 AM 7:43 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:19 AM 7:42 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:23 AM 7:42 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:21 AM 7:42 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:10 AM 7:43 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:08 AM 7:43 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:03 AM 7:44 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Iron County were on the road by 7:03 AM, 13 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:17 AM). Across Michigan, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Iron County now leave 35 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Iron County has moved 16 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Iron County in the whole series.

How does Iron County's commute time compare?

Metric Iron County Michigan US Average
Avg. Commute Time 13.9 min 21.3 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 11.6% 13.5% 15.0%
Walked 3.0% 2.0% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.9% 3.2%

The average commute time in Iron County is 13.9 minutes, shorter than the 21.3 minutes in Michigan.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.9% in Michigan. 3.0% commute by walking, higher than the 2.0% in Michigan.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Iron County, MI Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Iron County, MI is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 11,667 residents against a local median of 9,369. Where Iron County, MI breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 28% above the local median of 9.0% at 11.6%.

The counties themselves spread 5.3% on work from home, so Iron County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Iron County, MI has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Iron County, MI 11,667 13.9 min #4/6 11.6% #1/6 7:03 AM #2/6
Florence County, WI 4,646 16.0 min 11.1% 7:20 AM
Baraga County, MI 8,191 12.5 min 5.8% 7:42 AM
Forest County, WI 9,369 17.4 min 8.0% 6:59 AM
Dickinson County, MI 25,954 12.2 min 9.0% 7:24 AM
Houghton County, MI 34,105 13.5 min 10.0% 7:58 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Iron County, Michigan.

Is living in Iron County, Michigan good for avoiding long commute costs?

Commuters here spend an estimated 116 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,601 at a typical national wage. That's 35% less than the typical Michigan commuter spends.

When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Iron County, Michigan?

Traffic peaks between 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM in Iron County, Michigan. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Do people use public transit in Iron County, Michigan?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.9% in Michigan, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

Which counties in Michigan have the fastest and slowest commutes?

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).