Commuting in Blue Earth County, Minnesota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:38 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Blue Earth County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:38 PM
Commute Time Burden in Blue Earth County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Blue Earth County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 114 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting. That is 33% less time on the road than the Minnesota average of 20.3 minutes each way, a difference of 6.7 minutes.
Blue Earth County holds about 1.2% of Minnesota's population but accounts for roughly 0.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Blue Earth County would save about 45 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,410 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)
Blue Earth County
13.6 min
27.3 min
114 hrs/yr
$3,525
692
Minnesota
20.3 min
40.6 min
169 hrs/yr
$5,249
854
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
13.6
minutes to get to work in
Blue Earth County.
That's 39% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 77% of counties in Minnesota
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 8.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Blue Earth County
Car:
86.2%
Worked at Home:
8.5%
Walked:
3.0%
Public Transportation:
1.3%
Other:
0.4%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Taxi:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Blue Earth County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Blue Earth 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
Taxi
Bicycle
Motorcycle
2009
87.2%
4.5%
4.8%
1.6%
0.4%
0.0%
1.0%
0.3%
2010
88.2%
4.4%
4.1%
1.3%
0.4%
0.2%
1.0%
0.4%
2011
89.6%
4.0%
3.8%
1.2%
0.3%
0.2%
0.6%
0.4%
2012
89.6%
4.1%
4.0%
1.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.6%
0.3%
2013
89.4%
4.0%
4.3%
1.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.5%
0.3%
2014
90.2%
4.1%
3.8%
0.7%
0.1%
0.2%
0.7%
0.2%
2015
88.8%
4.4%
4.5%
1.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.6%
0.1%
2016
88.2%
4.8%
4.4%
1.5%
0.1%
0.1%
0.7%
0.2%
2017
88.5%
5.0%
4.0%
1.5%
0.1%
0.1%
0.7%
0.1%
2018
89.0%
5.2%
3.2%
1.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.6%
0.2%
2019
88.1%
5.5%
3.2%
1.9%
0.3%
0.1%
0.5%
0.3%
2020
88.0%
6.7%
2.5%
1.9%
0.4%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
2021
86.9%
7.9%
2.7%
1.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.3%
0.1%
2022
86.2%
8.3%
2.8%
1.7%
0.4%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2023
85.8%
8.3%
3.0%
1.8%
0.4%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2024
86.2%
8.5%
3.0%
1.3%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2014 at 90.2% and lowest in 2023 at 85.8%. Overall it fell from 87.2% in 2009 to 86.2% in 2024, down 1.0 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in Blue Earth County: its share of workers rose from 4.5% in 2009 to 8.5% in 2024, up 4.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.0 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.8% to 3.0% of workers (down 1.8 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2016 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Blue Earth County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Blue Earth County?
The bars show when commuters in Blue Earth 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 Minnesota for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMBlue Earth County4.5%Minnesota5.0%
4.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMBlue Earth County3.0%Minnesota3.8%
3.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMBlue Earth County4.9%Minnesota5.2%
4.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMBlue Earth County5.2%Minnesota8.4%
5.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMBlue Earth County9.7%Minnesota10.2%
9.7%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMBlue Earth County15.7%Minnesota14.8%
15.7%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMBlue Earth County17.4%Minnesota13.8%
17.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMBlue Earth County9.4%Minnesota10.4%
9.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMBlue Earth County3.5%Minnesota4.7%
3.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMBlue Earth County4.2%Minnesota5.8%
4.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMBlue Earth County2.7%Minnesota2.7%
2.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMBlue Earth County1.7%Minnesota1.3%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMBlue Earth County11.0%Minnesota8.2%
11.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMBlue Earth County7.1%Minnesota5.8%
7.1%
Blue Earth CountyMinnesotaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Blue Earth County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 17.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.8% across Minnesota. Early starts are less common than in Minnesota: 12.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.0% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Minnesota: 52.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.2% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.7%) 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 Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County next to Minnesota 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
Blue Earth County
Minnesota
United States
2009
7:50 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:50 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:50 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:49 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:48 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:47 AM
7:36 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:45 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:44 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:42 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:42 AM
7:34 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:41 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:39 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:40 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:42 AM
7:34 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:40 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:42 AM
7:36 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Blue Earth County were on the road by 7:42 AM, 8 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:50 AM). Across Minnesota, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Blue Earth County now leave 4 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Blue Earth County's commute time compare?
Metric
Blue Earth County
Minnesota
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
13.6 min
20.3 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
8.5%
17.6%
15.0%
Walked
3.0%
2.5%
2.4%
Public Transit
1.3%
1.8%
3.2%
The average commute time in Blue Earth County is 13.6 minutes, shorter than the 20.3 minutes in Minnesota.
1.3% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.8% in Minnesota. 3.0% commute by walking, higher than the 2.5% in Minnesota.
Blue Earth County, MN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Blue Earth County, MN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 69,837 residents against a local median of 18,885. Blue Earth County, MN's one-way commute, at 13.6 min, runs 22% below the 17.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.9 min on one-way commute, so Blue Earth County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Blue Earth County, MN has the 2nd lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Blue Earth County, Minnesota.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
Commuters here spend an estimated 114 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,525 at a typical national wage. That's 33% less than the typical Minnesota commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. 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 Minnesota?
Among counties in Minnesota, the shortest average commutes are in Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min). The longest are in Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).