Commuting in Deer Lodge County, Montana: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:35 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Deer Lodge County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:35 PM
Commute Time Burden in Deer Lodge County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Deer Lodge County spend about 30 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 126 hours, about 5.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 6% less time on the road than the Montana average of 16.0 minutes each way, a difference of 0.9 minutes.
Deer Lodge County holds about 0.9% of Montana's population but accounts for roughly 0.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Deer Lodge County would save about 50 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,563 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)
Deer Lodge County
15.1 min
30.3 min
126 hrs/yr
$3,909
350
Montana
16.0 min
32.1 min
134 hrs/yr
$4,143
403
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
15.1
minutes to get to work in
Deer Lodge County.
That's 32% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 8.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Deer Lodge County
Car:
81.4%
Worked at Home:
8.1%
Walked:
6.3%
Other:
4.0%
Bicycle:
0.2%unusually low
Motorcycle:
0.1%
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is essentially absent in Deer Lodge County, versus 0.6% in Montana.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Deer Lodge County, versus 0.1% in Montana.
Biking is unusually rare in Deer Lodge County: 4.0 times less than the Montana average (0.2% vs 1.0%).
Commute Mode Trends in Deer Lodge County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Deer Lodge 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
77.2%
16.9%
2.7%
1.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2.0%
0.0%
2010
76.2%
18.3%
2.4%
0.9%
0.2%
0.0%
2.0%
0.0%
2011
88.3%
6.1%
3.8%
0.9%
0.2%
0.0%
0.7%
0.0%
2012
85.7%
10.2%
2.5%
0.9%
0.2%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
2013
84.9%
10.5%
2.9%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
1.1%
0.0%
2014
83.7%
10.8%
3.2%
1.6%
0.3%
0.1%
0.4%
0.0%
2015
82.8%
11.6%
3.6%
1.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.8%
0.0%
2016
84.5%
10.8%
3.2%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.5%
0.0%
2017
84.8%
9.3%
4.2%
1.4%
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2018
85.6%
7.1%
5.6%
1.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2019
87.5%
5.0%
6.5%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2020
87.0%
4.0%
6.1%
2.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2021
82.3%
7.3%
7.4%
2.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.5%
0.0%
2022
80.3%
9.1%
6.7%
3.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
82.5%
7.7%
5.7%
4.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
81.4%
8.1%
6.3%
4.0%
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 2011 at 88.3% and lowest in 2010 at 76.2%. Overall it rose from 77.2% in 2009 to 81.4% in 2024, up 4.2 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Walking gained the most ground in Deer Lodge County: its share of workers rose from 2.7% in 2009 to 6.3% in 2024, up 3.6 percentage points.
Working from home lost the most ground, falling from 16.9% to 8.1% of workers (down 8.8 percentage points).
Walking peaked at 7.4% in 2021 and has since fallen back to 6.3%.
Commute Start Times in Deer Lodge County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Deer Lodge County?
The bars show when commuters in Deer Lodge 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 Montana for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMDeer Lodge County2.8%Montana4.0%
2.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMDeer Lodge County6.7%Montana2.7%
6.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMDeer Lodge County5.1%Montana4.0%
5.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMDeer Lodge County7.2%Montana6.7%
7.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMDeer Lodge County10.2%Montana10.3%
10.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMDeer Lodge County13.2%Montana13.7%
13.2%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMDeer Lodge County19.4%Montana19.2%
19.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMDeer Lodge County10.6%Montana11.7%
10.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMDeer Lodge County3.9%Montana5.7%
3.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMDeer Lodge County7.3%Montana6.3%
7.3%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMDeer Lodge County1.4%Montana3.3%
1.4%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMDeer Lodge County0.7%Montana1.5%
0.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMDeer Lodge County5.7%Montana5.7%
5.7%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMDeer Lodge County5.9%Montana5.2%
5.9%
Deer Lodge CountyMontanaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Deer Lodge County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 19.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 19.2% across Montana. Early starts are more common than in Montana: 14.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush looks much like Montana's: 53.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 55.0% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (21.0%) 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 Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County next to Montana 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
Deer Lodge County
Montana
United States
2009
7:40 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:42 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:46 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:47 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:47 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:46 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:44 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:49 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:54 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2018
8:04 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2019
8:02 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:55 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:56 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:48 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:37 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:38 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Deer Lodge County were on the road by 7:38 AM, 2 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:40 AM). Montana followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Deer Lodge County now leave at about the same time as the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Deer Lodge County has moved 25 minutes earlier.
How does Deer Lodge County's commute time compare?
Metric
Deer Lodge County
Montana
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
15.1 min
16.0 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
8.1%
12.5%
15.0%
Walked
6.3%
3.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Deer Lodge County is 15.1 minutes, shorter than the 16.0 minutes in Montana.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Montana. 6.3% commute by walking, higher than the 3.9% in Montana.
Deer Lodge County, MT Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Deer Lodge County, MT is typical in size for this group, 9,595 residents against a local median of 9,712, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Deer Lodge County, MT's one-way commute, at 15.1 min, runs 16% above the 13.0 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 11.3 min on one-way commute, so Deer Lodge County, MT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Deer Lodge County, MT has the 4th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Deer Lodge County, Montana.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Deer Lodge County, Montana?
Commuters here spend an estimated 126 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,909 at a typical national wage. That's 6% less than the typical Montana commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Deer Lodge County, Montana?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Deer Lodge County, Montana. 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.
Do people use public transit in Deer Lodge County, Montana?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.6% in Montana, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in Montana have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Montana, the shortest average commutes are in Treasure County (7.2 min), Rosebud County (8.2 min), Fallon County (8.4 min). The longest are in Broadwater County (30.3 min), Stillwater County (27.8 min), Granite County (23.3 min).