Commuting in DeKalb County, Missouri: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:37 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in DeKalb County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:37 PM
Commute Time Burden in DeKalb County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in DeKalb County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 224 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 28% more time on the road than the Missouri average of 21.0 minutes each way, a difference of 5.9 minutes.
DeKalb County holds about 0.2% of Missouri's population and accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in DeKalb County would save about 90 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,777 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)
DeKalb County
26.9 min
53.7 min
224 hrs/yr
$6,942
379
Missouri
21.0 min
41.9 min
175 hrs/yr
$5,415
923
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
26.9
minutes to get to work in
DeKalb County.
That's 20% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 87% of counties in Missouri
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 9.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in DeKalb County
Car:
86.9%
Worked at Home:
9.9%
Walked:
1.7%
Other:
1.3%
Public Transportation:
0.2%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in DeKalb County, versus 0.1% in Missouri.
Public transit is unusually rare in DeKalb County: 5.0 times less than the Missouri average (0.2% vs 0.8%).
Biking is essentially absent in DeKalb County, versus 0.2% in Missouri.
Commute Mode Trends in DeKalb County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in DeKalb 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
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
2009
91.4%
6.1%
1.2%
1.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
91.4%
6.1%
1.3%
1.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
91.1%
6.3%
1.6%
0.9%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2012
92.4%
2.0%
2.1%
2.3%
1.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2013
92.3%
2.9%
1.8%
1.7%
1.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2014
93.1%
2.8%
1.8%
1.4%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
92.7%
3.7%
1.6%
1.2%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
93.0%
4.3%
0.6%
1.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
92.8%
5.2%
0.7%
1.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2018
92.3%
3.8%
2.8%
1.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2019
89.4%
6.4%
3.1%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2020
90.3%
6.5%
2.5%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2021
87.2%
8.4%
3.3%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2022
85.7%
9.4%
3.5%
1.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
87.1%
10.5%
1.2%
0.9%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
86.9%
9.9%
1.7%
1.3%
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 was highest in 2014 at 93.1% and lowest in 2022 at 85.7%. Overall it fell from 91.4% in 2009 to 86.9% in 2024, down 4.5 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in DeKalb County: its share of workers rose from 6.1% in 2009 to 9.9% in 2024, up 3.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.5 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking peaked at 3.5% in 2022 and has since fallen back to 1.7%.
Commute Start Times in DeKalb County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in DeKalb County?
The bars show when commuters in DeKalb 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 Missouri for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMDeKalb County9.1%Missouri5.2%
9.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMDeKalb County7.5%Missouri3.9%
7.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMDeKalb County9.2%Missouri5.3%
9.2%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMDeKalb County10.1%Missouri9.0%
10.1%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMDeKalb County10.5%Missouri10.4%
10.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMDeKalb County16.3%Missouri15.0%
16.3%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMDeKalb County12.1%Missouri13.6%
12.1%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMDeKalb County7.2%Missouri10.1%
7.2%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMDeKalb County1.6%Missouri4.5%
1.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMDeKalb County3.2%Missouri5.2%
3.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMDeKalb County0.7%Missouri2.6%
0.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMDeKalb County1.1%Missouri1.2%
1.1%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMDeKalb County4.7%Missouri7.0%
4.7%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMDeKalb County6.6%Missouri6.9%
6.6%
DeKalb CountyMissouriSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in DeKalb County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 16.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 15.0% across Missouri. Early starts are more common than in Missouri: 25.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.5% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Missouri: 46.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 49.1% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.4%) 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County next to Missouri 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
DeKalb County
Missouri
United States
2009
7:18 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:28 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:28 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:25 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:26 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:29 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:18 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:16 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:14 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:18 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:12 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:14 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:17 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:18 AM
7:32 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:10 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:07 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in DeKalb County were on the road by 7:07 AM, 11 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:18 AM). Across Missouri, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in DeKalb County now leave 31 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 DeKalb County has moved 6 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for DeKalb County in the whole series.
How does DeKalb County's commute time compare?
Metric
DeKalb County
Missouri
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
26.9 min
21.0 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
9.9%
13.0%
15.0%
Walked
1.7%
1.8%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
0.8%
3.2%
The average commute time in DeKalb County is 26.9 minutes, longer than the 21.0 minutes in Missouri.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.8% in Missouri. 1.7% commute by walking, lower than the 1.8% in Missouri.
DeKalb County, MO Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
DeKalb County, MO is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 10,876 residents against a local median of 18,065. Where DeKalb County, MO breaks from the counties next to it is one-way commute, sitting 32% above the local median of 20.3 min at 26.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 9.9% against a local median of 8.0%, 23% above it. The counties themselves spread 13.4 min on one-way commute, so DeKalb County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. DeKalb County, MO has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in DeKalb County, Missouri.
Is living in DeKalb County, Missouri good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 224 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,942 at a typical national wage. That's 28% more than the typical Missouri commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in DeKalb County, Missouri?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in DeKalb County, Missouri. 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.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in DeKalb County, Missouri?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.2% of commuters use it versus 0.8% in Missouri, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How do commute times compare across counties in Missouri?
Among counties in Missouri, the shortest average commutes are in Saline County (11.9 min), Adair County (12.0 min), Nodaway County (12.1 min). The longest are in Bollinger County (33.1 min), Ray County (32.2 min), Maries County (31.9 min).