Commuting in Valley 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, 3:02 PM
Is the commute in Valley County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 3:02 PM
Commute Time Burden in Valley County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Valley County spend about 17 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 72 hours, about 3.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 46% less time on the road than the Montana average of 16.0 minutes each way, a difference of 7.4 minutes.
Valley County holds about 0.7% of Montana's population but accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Valley County would save about 29 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $898 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)
Valley County
8.7 min
17.4 min
72 hrs/yr
$2,244
97
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
8.7
minutes to get to work in
Valley County.
That's 61% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the top 5 fastest 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 15.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Valley County
Car:
77.7%
Worked at Home:
15.9%
Walked:
4.6%
Public Transportation:
0.8%
Bicycle:
0.5%
Motorcycle:
0.3%unusually high
Other:
0.2%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Valley County: 3.1 times more than the Montana average (0.3% vs 0.1%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Valley County, versus 0.1% in Montana.
Commute Mode Trends in Valley County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Valley 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
Public Transportation
Bicycle
Motorcycle
Other
Taxi
2009
85.9%
6.3%
5.9%
1.0%
0.9%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2010
88.3%
5.5%
4.0%
1.5%
0.6%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2011
87.7%
6.0%
3.4%
1.8%
0.8%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
2012
88.1%
6.9%
2.8%
1.7%
0.2%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
2013
86.7%
7.0%
3.5%
2.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
2014
86.5%
8.1%
3.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
2015
85.6%
7.3%
5.6%
0.5%
0.6%
0.1%
0.3%
0.0%
2016
83.5%
8.1%
7.0%
0.5%
0.7%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2017
84.2%
7.3%
7.3%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
2018
85.4%
6.8%
6.2%
0.2%
1.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
2019
84.5%
7.3%
6.4%
0.2%
0.7%
0.1%
0.8%
0.0%
2020
82.6%
10.7%
4.8%
0.3%
0.6%
0.3%
0.6%
0.0%
2021
78.1%
15.0%
4.8%
0.3%
0.8%
0.4%
0.7%
0.0%
2022
77.3%
14.6%
6.3%
0.3%
0.4%
0.4%
0.6%
0.0%
2023
75.5%
17.9%
4.5%
1.0%
0.2%
0.6%
0.3%
0.0%
2024
77.7%
15.9%
4.6%
0.8%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2010 at 88.3% and lowest in 2023 at 75.5%. Overall it fell from 85.9% in 2009 to 77.7% in 2024, down 8.2 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Valley County: its share of workers rose from 6.3% in 2009 to 15.9% in 2024, up 9.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 5.9% to 4.6% of workers (down 1.3 percentage points).
Working from home peaked at 17.9% in 2023 and has since fallen back to 15.9%.
Commute Start Times in Valley County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Valley County?
The bars show when commuters in Valley 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 AMValley County1.6%Montana4.0%
1.6%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMValley County4.2%Montana2.7%
4.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMValley County6.7%Montana4.0%
6.7%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMValley County5.9%Montana6.7%
5.9%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMValley County10.5%Montana10.3%
10.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMValley County12.3%Montana13.7%
12.3%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMValley County21.1%Montana19.2%
21.1%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMValley County8.9%Montana11.7%
8.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMValley County2.9%Montana5.7%
2.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMValley County6.4%Montana6.3%
6.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMValley County4.7%Montana3.3%
4.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMValley County0.0%Montana1.5%
0.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMValley County7.2%Montana5.7%
7.2%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMValley County7.6%Montana5.2%
7.6%
Valley CountyMontanaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Valley County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 21.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 19.2% across Montana. Early starts are more common than in Montana: 12.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Montana: 52.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 55.0% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.0%) 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 Valley 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 Valley 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 Valley 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
Valley County
Montana
United States
2009
7:44 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:40 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:37 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:36 AM
7:45 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:40 AM
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:45 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
7:44 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:44 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:42 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:24 AM
7:45 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:36 AM
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:41 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:43 AM
7:43 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Valley County were on the road by 7:43 AM, 1 minute earlier than in 2009 (7:44 AM). Montana followed the same path, with the typical start moving 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Valley County now leave 5 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Valley County's commute time compare?
Metric
Valley County
Montana
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
8.7 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
15.9%
12.5%
15.0%
Walked
4.6%
3.9%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.8%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Valley County is 8.7 minutes, shorter than the 16.0 minutes in Montana.
0.8% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.6% in Montana. 4.6% commute by walking, higher than the 3.9% in Montana.
Valley County, MT Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Valley County, MT is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 7,519 residents against a local median of 1,669. Valley County, MT's one-way commute, at 8.7 min, runs 22% below the 11.1 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 4.6 min on one-way commute, so Valley County, MT sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Valley County, MT has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Valley County, Montana.
Is commuting expensive in Valley County, Montana?
Commuters here spend an estimated 72 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $2,244 at a typical national wage. That's 46% less than the typical Montana commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Valley County, Montana?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Valley 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in Montana?
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).