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Lincoln County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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

You 9/24/26, 3:36 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Lincoln County?
Map AI 9/24/26, 3:36 PM

Commute Time Burden in Lincoln County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Lincoln County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting. That is 1% more time on the road than the Minnesota average of 20.3 minutes each way, a difference of 0.2 minutes.

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

Working from home just 2 days a week in Lincoln County would save about 68 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,117 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)
Lincoln County 20.5 min 41.0 min 171 hrs/yr $5,293 228
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.

Commute Time Map: Minnesota Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Minnesota
  1. Brown County (10.6 min)
  2. Pennington County (10.8 min)
  3. Cottonwood County (10.9 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Minnesota
  1. Chisago County (30.9 min)
  2. Wright County (28.8 min)
  3. Sherburne County (28.8 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Lincoln County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 20.5 minutes to get to work in Lincoln County. That's 9% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 16.4% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Lincoln County

  • Car: 79.1%
  • Worked at Home: 16.4%
  • Walked: 3.7%
  • Other: 0.4%
  • Bicycle: 0.4%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low

Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Lincoln County, versus 0.1% in Minnesota.

Public transit is essentially absent in Lincoln County, versus 1.8% in Minnesota.

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Lincoln County, versus 0.2% in Minnesota.

Commute Mode Trends in Lincoln County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Lincoln 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 Bicycle Other Public Transportation Taxi Motorcycle
2009 81.4% 12.2% 5.3% 0.4% 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2010 81.0% 12.3% 5.5% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0% 0.1%
2011 80.7% 12.0% 5.6% 0.3% 1.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.1%
2012 81.8% 11.6% 5.3% 0.5% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2013 80.2% 13.1% 5.6% 0.2% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2014 80.9% 11.8% 6.2% 0.2% 0.8% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2015 83.5% 9.7% 5.7% 0.1% 0.9% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1%
2016 83.8% 10.3% 5.4% 0.1% 0.3% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2017 83.1% 10.6% 5.8% 0.0% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2018 83.7% 10.5% 5.2% 0.0% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%
2019 82.7% 12.6% 4.3% 0.0% 0.1% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2020 79.2% 15.2% 4.7% 0.2% 0.3% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2021 79.5% 15.9% 3.8% 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2022 79.7% 16.0% 3.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
2023 80.1% 15.7% 3.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0%
2024 79.1% 16.4% 3.7% 0.4% 0.4% 0.0% 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 2016 at 83.8%. Overall it fell from 81.4% in 2009 to 79.1% in 2024, down 2.3 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.

Working from home gained the most ground in Lincoln County: its share of workers rose from 12.2% in 2009 to 16.4% in 2024, up 4.2 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Walking lost the most ground, falling from 5.3% to 3.7% of workers (down 1.6 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Lincoln County

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Lincoln County?

The bars show when commuters in Lincoln 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
3.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
4.8%
5:30-5:59 AM
6.7%
6:00-6:29 AM
7.3%
6:30-6:59 AM
10.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
20.7%
7:30-7:59 AM
17.5%
8:00-8:29 AM
11.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
3.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
2.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
1.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
0.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
3.9%
4:00-11:59 PM
5.9%

Lincoln County Minnesota Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Lincoln County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 20.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.8% across Minnesota. Early starts are more common than in Minnesota: 15.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.0% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Minnesota: 59.8% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.2% there. About 1 in 7 commuters (14.4%) 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Minnesota United States
2009 7:28 AM 7:36 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:27 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:28 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:27 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:25 AM 7:36 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:26 AM 7:36 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:21 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:20 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:19 AM 7:34 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:17 AM 7:34 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:16 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:19 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:18 AM 7:33 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:23 AM 7:34 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:23 AM 7:35 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:25 AM 7:36 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Lincoln County were on the road by 7:25 AM, 2 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:28 AM). Across Minnesota, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Lincoln County now leave 12 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 Lincoln County has moved 9 minutes later.

How does Lincoln County's commute time compare?

Metric Lincoln County Minnesota US Average
Avg. Commute Time 20.5 min 20.3 min 22.4 min
Departure Window 07:00 AM – 07:29 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 16.4% 17.6% 15.0%
Walked 3.7% 2.5% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 1.8% 3.2%

The average commute time in Lincoln County is about the same as in Minnesota.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.8% in Minnesota. 3.7% commute by walking, higher than the 2.5% in Minnesota.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Lincoln County, MN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Lincoln County, MN is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 5,603 residents against a local median of 9,450. The measure that sets Lincoln County, MN apart most is work from home: 16.4%, 72% above the local median of 9.5%.

One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.5 min against a local median of 11.9 min, 72% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 72% above the local median it puts Lincoln County, MN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within 3.4% of each other on work from home, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Lincoln County, MN, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Lincoln County, MN has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Lincoln County, MN 5,603 20.5 min #5/6 16.4% #1/6 7:25 AM #3/6
Pipestone County, MN 9,284 11.2 min 9.1% 7:22 AM
Lyon County, MN 25,503 11.9 min 12.4% 7:34 AM
Yellow Medicine County, MN 9,450 17.8 min 9.0% 7:33 AM
Brookings County, SD 35,353 11.9 min 11.1% 7:44 AM
Deuel County, SD 4,328 21.2 min 9.5% 7:15 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Lincoln County, Minnesota.

How much does the average commute cost workers in Lincoln County, Minnesota?

Commuters here spend an estimated 171 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,293 at a typical national wage. That's 1% more than the typical Minnesota commuter spends.

When is rush hour worst in Lincoln County, Minnesota?

Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Lincoln County, Minnesota. 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.

How common is public transit use in Lincoln County, Minnesota?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 1.8% in Minnesota, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

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).