Golden Valley Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Golden Valley, Minnesota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Golden Valley: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Golden Valley spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 170 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the Minnesota average of 20.3 minutes each way.
Golden Valley holds about 0.4% of Minnesota's population and accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Golden Valley would save about 68 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,110 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley | 20.4 min | 40.8 min | 170 hrs/yr | $5,275 | 2,362 |
| 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.
Golden Valley Commute Map
On average, it takes 20.4 minutes to get to work in Golden Valley. That's 9% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 29.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Golden Valley
- Car: 67.1%
- Worked at Home: 29.5%
- Public Transportation: 2.3%
- Walked: 0.5% unusually low
- Other: 0.3%
- Bicycle: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Golden Valley, versus 0.1% in Minnesota.
Walking is unusually rare in Golden Valley: 4.6 times less than the Minnesota average (0.5% vs 2.5%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Golden Valley, versus 0.2% in Minnesota.
Few people walk or bike to work in Golden Valley: just 0.8%, 3.8 times below the Minnesota average of 3.0%.
Commute Mode Trends in Golden Valley, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Golden Valley 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Public Transportation | Walked | Other | Bicycle | Taxi | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 87.7% | 6.1% | 3.7% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2010 | 87.0% | 6.7% | 3.9% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 86.2% | 7.1% | 3.8% | 1.1% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 85.8% | 6.1% | 4.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 87.8% | 5.8% | 4.0% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 86.8% | 6.4% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 87.0% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 87.8% | 6.1% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 88.6% | 5.4% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 86.3% | 6.0% | 3.3% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 2.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.4% | 6.3% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 81.2% | 12.6% | 2.8% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 77.8% | 16.9% | 2.5% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 74.6% | 21.4% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2023 | 70.5% | 25.9% | 2.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2024 | 67.1% | 29.5% | 2.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 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 2017 at 88.6%. Overall it fell from 87.7% in 2009 to 67.1% in 2024, down 20.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Golden Valley: its share of workers rose from 6.1% in 2009 to 29.5% in 2024, up 23.4 percentage points. Most of that increase, 23.2 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 3.7% to 2.3% of workers (down 1.4 percentage points).
Biking peaked at 2.3% in 2018 and has since fallen back to 0.2%.
Commute Start Times in Golden Valley
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Golden Valley?
The bars show when commuters in Golden Valley 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 AM
Golden Valley3.2%
Minnesota5.0%
|
3.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Golden Valley1.5%
Minnesota3.8%
|
1.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Golden Valley1.9%
Minnesota5.2%
|
1.9% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Golden Valley5.0%
Minnesota8.4%
|
5.0% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Golden Valley7.8%
Minnesota10.2%
|
7.8% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Golden Valley14.7%
Minnesota14.8%
|
14.7% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Golden Valley16.0%
Minnesota13.8%
|
16.0% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Golden Valley16.0%
Minnesota10.4%
|
16.0% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Golden Valley12.5%
Minnesota4.7%
|
12.5% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Golden Valley6.7%
Minnesota5.8%
|
6.7% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Golden Valley4.8%
Minnesota2.7%
|
4.8% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Golden Valley0.4%
Minnesota1.3%
|
0.4% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Golden Valley5.9%
Minnesota8.2%
|
5.9% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Golden Valley3.8%
Minnesota5.8%
|
3.8% |
Golden Valley Minnesota Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Golden Valley is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 16.0% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.8% across Minnesota. Early starts are less common than in Minnesota: 6.5% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.0% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Minnesota: 54.4% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.2% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.6%) 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 Golden Valley, 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 Golden Valley 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 Golden Valley 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Golden Valley | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:53 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:53 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:47 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:46 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:52 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:52 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 8:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Golden Valley were on the road by 8:00 AM, 7 minutes later than in 2009 (7:53 AM). Across Minnesota, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Golden Valley now leave 22 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 Golden Valley has moved 14 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Golden Valley in the whole series.
How does Golden Valley's commute time compare?
| Metric | Golden Valley | Minnesota | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 20.4 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 29.5% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 0.5% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 2.3% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Golden Valley is about the same as in Minnesota.
2.3% commute by public transit, higher than the 1.8% in Minnesota. 0.5% commute by walking, lower than the 2.5% in Minnesota.
Golden Valley, MN Commute Compared With Nearby Cities
Golden Valley, MN is typical in size for this group, 21,735 residents against a local median of 22,688, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Golden Valley, MN apart most is work from home: 29.5%, 37% above the local median of 21.5%.
The cities themselves spread 12.0% on work from home, so Golden Valley, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Golden Valley, MN has the highest work from home of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley, MN | 21,735 | 20.4 min #3/4 | 29.5% #1/4 | 8:00 AM #4/4 |
| St. Louis Park, MN | 49,539 | 18.7 min | 28.1% | 7:53 AM |
| Crystal, MN | 22,688 | 20.4 min | 21.5% | 7:41 AM |
| New Hope, MN | 20,969 | 20.4 min | 16.1% | 7:37 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Golden Valley, Minnesota?
Commuters here spend an estimated 170 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,275 at a typical national wage.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Golden Valley, Minnesota?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Golden Valley, Minnesota. 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 much money can remote workers save in Golden Valley, Minnesota?
About 29.5% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Golden Valley would save about 68 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,110 at the same national wage assumption used above.