Commuting in Hettinger County, North Dakota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:39 PM
How much time do drivers in Hettinger County spend on the road daily?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:39 PM
Commute Time Burden in Hettinger County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Hettinger County spend about 20 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 85 hours, about 3.5 full days, spent commuting. That is 26% less time on the road than the North Dakota average of 13.8 minutes each way, a difference of 3.6 minutes.
Hettinger County holds about 0.3% of North Dakota's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Hettinger County would save about 34 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,050 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)
Hettinger County
10.2 min
20.3 min
85 hrs/yr
$2,626
160
North Dakota
13.8 min
27.6 min
115 hrs/yr
$3,567
360
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
10.2
minutes to get to work in
Hettinger County.
That's 55% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 83% of counties in North Dakota
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 9.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Hettinger County
Car:
79.7%
Worked at Home:
9.9%
Walked:
8.2%
Other:
2.0%
Motorcycle:
0.2%
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is essentially absent in Hettinger County, versus 0.3% in North Dakota.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Hettinger County, versus 0.1% in North Dakota.
Biking is essentially absent in Hettinger County, versus 0.3% in North Dakota.
Commute Mode Trends in Hettinger County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Hettinger 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
Motorcycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
Bicycle
2009
76.3%
15.0%
7.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.7%
2010
76.7%
16.3%
5.9%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.7%
2011
75.3%
17.6%
6.3%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.5%
2012
77.0%
16.4%
6.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.7%
2013
77.1%
15.6%
6.8%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
2014
79.1%
12.4%
7.0%
0.2%
0.0%
1.0%
0.0%
0.4%
2015
80.1%
12.2%
5.6%
0.1%
0.0%
1.6%
0.0%
0.3%
2016
80.5%
8.8%
8.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2.1%
0.0%
0.2%
2017
83.9%
6.1%
9.0%
0.3%
0.0%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
84.1%
6.6%
8.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
81.2%
8.0%
10.4%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
80.9%
9.4%
9.3%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
83.7%
9.2%
6.9%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
80.4%
10.9%
7.2%
1.2%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
78.9%
10.1%
8.5%
2.0%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
79.7%
9.9%
8.2%
2.0%
0.2%
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 was highest in 2018 at 84.1% and lowest in 2011 at 75.3%. Overall it rose from 76.3% in 2009 to 79.7% in 2024, up 3.4 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.
Walking gained the most ground in Hettinger County: its share of workers rose from 7.6% in 2009 to 8.2% in 2024, up 0.6 percentage points.
Working from home lost the most ground, falling from 15.0% to 9.9% of workers (down 5.1 percentage points).
Walking peaked at 10.4% in 2019 and has since fallen back to 8.2%.
Commute Start Times in Hettinger County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Hettinger County?
The bars show when commuters in Hettinger 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 North Dakota for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
Hettinger CountyNorth DakotaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Hettinger County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 17.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 20.9% across North Dakota. Early starts are more common than in North Dakota: 13.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush looks much like North Dakota's: 59.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 57.9% there. About 1 in 13 commuters (7.5%) 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 Hettinger 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 Hettinger 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 Hettinger County next to North Dakota 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
Hettinger County
North Dakota
United States
2009
7:21 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:23 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:21 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:19 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:21 AM
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:21 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:17 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:19 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:21 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:23 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:14 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:13 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:13 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:09 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:18 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:22 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Hettinger County were on the road by 7:22 AM, 1 minute later than in 2009 (7:21 AM). That goes against the trend across North Dakota, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Hettinger County now leave 16 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 Hettinger County has moved 8 minutes later.
How does Hettinger County's commute time compare?
Metric
Hettinger County
North Dakota
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
10.2 min
13.8 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
9.9%
8.1%
15.0%
Walked
8.2%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.3%
3.2%
The average commute time in Hettinger County is 10.2 minutes, shorter than the 13.8 minutes in North Dakota.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.3% in North Dakota. 8.2% commute by walking, higher than the 3.2% in North Dakota.
Hettinger County, ND Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Hettinger County, ND is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 2,432 residents against a local median of 3,001. Hettinger County, ND's work from home, at 9.9%, runs 40% below the 16.4% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread 25.9% on work from home, so Hettinger County, ND sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Hettinger County, ND has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Hettinger County, North Dakota.
Is commuting expensive in Hettinger County, North Dakota?
Commuters here spend an estimated 85 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $2,626 at a typical national wage. That's 26% less than the typical North Dakota commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Hettinger County, North Dakota?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Hettinger County, North Dakota. 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 Hettinger County, North Dakota?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.3% in North Dakota, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in North Dakota?
Among counties in North Dakota, the shortest average commutes are in McIntosh County (6.9 min), Foster County (7.7 min), Pierce County (7.7 min). The longest are in McHenry County (28.9 min), Renville County (23.5 min), Oliver County (22.8 min).