Commuting in Ravalli 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, 7:13 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Ravalli County?
Map AI9/24/26, 7:13 PM
Commute Time Burden in Ravalli County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Ravalli County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting. That is 15% more time on the road than the Montana average of 16.0 minutes each way, a difference of 2.5 minutes.
Ravalli County holds about 4.2% of Montana's population but accounts for roughly 4.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Ravalli County would save about 62 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,914 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)
Ravalli County
18.5 min
37.0 min
154 hrs/yr
$4,785
720
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
18.5
minutes to get to work in
Ravalli County.
That's 17% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 91% of counties in Montana
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 14.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Ravalli County
Car:
81.5%
Worked at Home:
14.2%
Walked:
2.1%
Other:
1.5%
Bicycle:
0.6%
Public Transportation:
0.2%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Ravalli County, versus 0.1% in Montana.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Ravalli County, versus 0.1% in Montana.
Commute Mode Trends in Ravalli County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Ravalli 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
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
85.1%
8.9%
4.9%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2010
84.9%
9.3%
3.9%
1.4%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
0.3%
2011
86.0%
8.8%
2.7%
1.7%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
0.5%
2012
88.0%
7.4%
2.6%
1.5%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2013
89.0%
6.8%
2.3%
1.4%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
0.3%
2014
88.9%
7.1%
2.2%
1.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
2015
87.3%
7.9%
3.2%
0.8%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2016
86.7%
7.7%
3.6%
1.1%
0.8%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
85.8%
8.2%
3.5%
1.4%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2018
84.1%
9.0%
4.5%
1.4%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2019
85.1%
8.3%
4.5%
1.1%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
2020
84.9%
9.0%
3.5%
1.4%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2021
83.5%
10.4%
3.4%
1.4%
1.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2022
82.3%
12.0%
3.4%
1.2%
1.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
82.5%
12.5%
2.5%
1.4%
0.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
81.5%
14.2%
2.1%
1.5%
0.6%
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 2013 at 89.0%. Overall it fell from 85.1% in 2009 to 81.5% in 2024, down 3.6 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Ravalli County: its share of workers rose from 8.9% in 2009 to 14.2% in 2024, up 5.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.9% to 2.1% of workers (down 2.8 percentage points).
Biking overtook riding a motorcycle to become the 5th most common choice in the 2014 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Ravalli County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Ravalli County?
The bars show when commuters in Ravalli 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 AMRavalli County3.1%Montana4.0%
3.1%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMRavalli County4.2%Montana2.7%
4.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMRavalli County3.9%Montana4.0%
3.9%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMRavalli County7.2%Montana6.7%
7.2%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMRavalli County7.4%Montana10.3%
7.4%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMRavalli County13.0%Montana13.7%
13.0%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMRavalli County20.7%Montana19.2%
20.7%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMRavalli County12.5%Montana11.7%
12.5%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMRavalli County5.0%Montana5.7%
5.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMRavalli County6.2%Montana6.3%
6.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMRavalli County4.3%Montana3.3%
4.3%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMRavalli County1.8%Montana1.5%
1.8%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMRavalli County6.2%Montana5.7%
6.2%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMRavalli County4.4%Montana5.2%
4.4%
Ravalli CountyMontanaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Ravalli County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 20.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 19.2% across Montana. Early starts are about as common as in Montana: 11.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush looks much like Montana's: 53.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 55.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (22.9%) 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 Ravalli 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 Ravalli 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 Ravalli 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
Ravalli County
Montana
United States
2009
7:45 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:43 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:42 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:42 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:40 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:41 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:45 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:48 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:47 AM
7:44 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:51 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:50 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:47 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:48 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:48 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:44 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:46 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Ravalli County were on the road by 7:46 AM, 2 minutes later than in 2009 (7:45 AM). That goes against the trend across Montana, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Ravalli County now leave 8 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 Ravalli County has moved 3 minutes earlier.
How does Ravalli County's commute time compare?
Metric
Ravalli County
Montana
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
18.5 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
14.2%
12.5%
15.0%
Walked
2.1%
3.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Ravalli County is 18.5 minutes, longer than the 16.0 minutes in Montana.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Montana. 2.1% commute by walking, lower than the 3.9% in Montana.
Ravalli County, MT Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Ravalli County, MT is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 46,722 residents against a local median of 9,595. Where Ravalli County, MT breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 44% above the local median of 9.9% at 14.2%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.5 min against a local median of 15.1 min, 22% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 22% above the local median it puts Ravalli County, MT at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 6.5% on work from home, so Ravalli County, MT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ravalli County, MT has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Ravalli County, Montana.
Is commuting expensive in Ravalli County, Montana?
Commuters here spend an estimated 154 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,785 at a typical national wage. That's 15% more than the typical Montana commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Ravalli County, Montana?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Ravalli 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.
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).