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Mercer County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Commuting in Mercer County, North Dakota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 7:59 PM
How long is the round-trip commute in Mercer County?
Map AI 9/24/26, 7:59 PM

Commute Time Burden in Mercer County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Mercer County spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 127 hours, about 5.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 11% more time on the road than the North Dakota average of 13.8 minutes each way, a difference of 1.5 minutes.

Mercer County holds about 1.1% of North Dakota's population but accounts for roughly 1.2% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Mercer County would save about 51 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,577 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)
Mercer County 15.3 min 30.5 min 127 hrs/yr $3,943 281
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.

Commute Time Map: North Dakota Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in North Dakota
  1. McIntosh County (6.9 min)
  2. Foster County (7.7 min)
  3. Pierce County (7.7 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in North Dakota
  1. McHenry County (28.9 min)
  2. Renville County (23.5 min)
  3. Oliver County (22.8 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Mercer County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 15.3 minutes to get to work in Mercer County. That's 32% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Slower than 77% 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 5.2% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Mercer County

  • Car: 89.5%
  • Worked at Home: 5.2%
  • Walked: 4.7%
  • Other: 0.6%
  • Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
  • Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low

Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Mercer County, versus 0.2% in North Dakota.

Public transit is essentially absent in Mercer County, versus 0.3% in North Dakota.

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Mercer County, versus 0.1% in North Dakota.

Biking is essentially absent in Mercer County, versus 0.3% in North Dakota.

Commute Mode Trends in Mercer County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Mercer 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 88.5% 5.4% 4.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.3% 0.5%
2010 89.5% 5.2% 4.2% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.6%
2011 89.9% 5.4% 3.0% 0.5% 0.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.6%
2012 89.2% 4.9% 3.9% 0.8% 0.3% 0.0% 0.3% 0.7%
2013 87.7% 5.0% 4.9% 1.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.3% 0.3%
2014 88.5% 4.1% 4.7% 1.9% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5%
2015 87.8% 4.6% 4.8% 2.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4%
2016 89.2% 4.2% 4.1% 1.8% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3%
2017 89.4% 4.6% 3.8% 1.6% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2%
2018 90.5% 5.2% 3.2% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3%
2019 92.3% 4.3% 2.8% 0.3% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
2020 91.5% 5.1% 2.9% 0.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2021 89.8% 6.0% 4.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2022 90.6% 4.9% 4.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2023 90.4% 4.7% 4.4% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2024 89.5% 5.2% 4.7% 0.6% 0.0% 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 2019 at 92.3% and lowest in 2013 at 87.7%. Overall it rose from 88.5% in 2009 to 89.5% in 2024, up 1.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 2 releases.

Biking lost the most ground, falling from 0.5% to 0.0% of workers (down 0.5 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Mercer County

  • Hitting SnoozeThe biggest shift to later mornings among North Dakota's 53 counties: the typical start is 36 minutes later than in 2009.
  • Dawn PatrolThe 3rd-highest share of pre-6 AM departures among North Dakota's 53 counties: 19.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM.
  • Rush-Hour DodgersThe 3rd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among North Dakota's 53 counties: only 45.6% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Mercer County?

The bars show when commuters in Mercer 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.

12:00-4:59 AM
3.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
9.0%
5:30-5:59 AM
6.8%
6:00-6:29 AM
9.8%
6:30-6:59 AM
8.7%
7:00-7:29 AM
14.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
14.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8.4%
8:30-8:59 AM
4.2%
9:00-9:59 AM
4.1%
10:00-10:59 AM
2.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
0.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
6.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
7.3%

Mercer County North Dakota Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Mercer County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 14.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 20.9% across North Dakota. Early starts are more common than in North Dakota: 19.6% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in North Dakota: 45.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 57.9% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (20.8%) 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County North Dakota United States
2009 6:49 AM 7:42 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:03 AM 7:42 AM 7:38 AM
2011 7:09 AM 7:41 AM 7:38 AM
2012 7:10 AM 7:40 AM 7:38 AM
2013 7:10 AM 7:40 AM 7:39 AM
2014 7:14 AM 7:39 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:08 AM 7:38 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:12 AM 7:38 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:00 AM 7:38 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:07 AM 7:38 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:09 AM 7:38 AM 7:37 AM
2020 7:14 AM 7:39 AM 7:37 AM
2021 7:13 AM 7:39 AM 7:37 AM
2022 7:17 AM 7:39 AM 7:37 AM
2023 7:20 AM 7:39 AM 7:38 AM
2024 7:25 AM 7:40 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Mercer County were on the road by 7:25 AM, 37 minutes later than in 2009 (6:49 AM). That goes against the trend across North Dakota, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Mercer County now leave 13 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 Mercer County has moved 17 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Mercer County in the whole series.

How does Mercer County's commute time compare?

Metric Mercer County North Dakota US Average
Avg. Commute Time 15.3 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 5.2% 8.1% 15.0%
Walked 4.7% 3.2% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.3% 3.2%

The average commute time in Mercer County is 15.3 minutes, longer than the 13.8 minutes in North Dakota.

0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.3% in North Dakota. 4.7% commute by walking, higher than the 3.2% in North Dakota.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Mercer County, ND Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Mercer County, ND is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 8,337 residents against a local median of 9,823. Where Mercer County, ND breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 42% below the local median of 9.0% at 5.2%.

The counties themselves spread 11.3% on work from home, so Mercer County, ND sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mercer County, ND has the 6th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Mercer County, ND 8,337 15.3 min #2/6 5.2% #6/6 7:25 AM #3/6
Oliver County, ND 1,839 22.8 min 9.0% 7:00 AM
McLean County, ND 9,823 17.5 min 8.2% 7:28 AM
Dunn County, ND 4,040 21.8 min 17.0% 7:05 AM
Morton County, ND 33,777 17.0 min 10.6% 7:40 AM
Ward County, ND 68,973 13.9 min 5.7% 7:34 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Mercer County, North Dakota.

Is commuting expensive in Mercer County, North Dakota?

Commuters here spend an estimated 127 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,943 at a typical national wage. That's 11% more than the typical North Dakota commuter spends.

What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Mercer County, North Dakota?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Mercer 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.

Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Mercer 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.

How do commute times compare across 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).