Commuting in Ward County, North Dakota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
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How long is the round-trip commute in Ward County?
Map AI9/24/26, 2:02 PM
Commute Time Burden in Ward County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Ward County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the North Dakota average of 13.8 minutes each way.
Ward County holds about 8.8% of North Dakota's population and accounts for roughly 8.8% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Ward County would save about 46 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,434 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)
Ward County
13.9 min
27.7 min
116 hrs/yr
$3,584
572
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
13.9
minutes to get to work in
Ward County.
That's 38% 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 5.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Ward County
Car:
90.3%
Worked at Home:
5.7%
Walked:
2.0%
Other:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.4%
Public Transportation:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
0.3%
Taxi:
< 0.1%
Commute Mode Trends in Ward County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Ward 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
Motorcycle
Taxi
2009
93.3%
3.4%
2.0%
0.3%
0.4%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
2010
92.5%
3.5%
2.3%
0.5%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
2011
92.3%
3.4%
2.7%
0.4%
0.5%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
2012
92.4%
3.5%
2.5%
0.6%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.2%
2013
92.1%
3.4%
3.0%
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2014
92.2%
3.5%
2.8%
0.6%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
2015
93.4%
3.1%
2.6%
0.4%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
2016
93.6%
3.2%
2.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
2017
93.1%
3.4%
2.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
2018
93.6%
3.5%
1.8%
0.3%
0.0%
0.5%
0.1%
0.2%
2019
93.6%
3.3%
1.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
2020
92.1%
4.2%
2.0%
0.7%
0.1%
0.4%
0.5%
0.1%
2021
92.1%
4.7%
1.7%
0.7%
0.1%
0.3%
0.4%
0.1%
2022
92.6%
4.4%
1.6%
0.4%
0.4%
0.2%
0.4%
0.0%
2023
90.9%
5.6%
1.7%
0.8%
0.4%
0.1%
0.5%
0.0%
2024
90.3%
5.7%
2.0%
0.9%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2016 at 93.6%. Overall it fell from 93.3% in 2009 to 90.3% in 2024, down 3.0 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 2 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Ward County: its share of workers rose from 3.4% in 2009 to 5.7% in 2024, up 2.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 2.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking peaked at 3.0% in 2013 and has since fallen back to 2.0%.
Commute Start Times in Ward County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Ward County?
The bars show when commuters in Ward 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
12:00-4:59 AMWard County4.3%North Dakota3.6%
4.3%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMWard County3.5%North Dakota2.7%
3.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMWard County5.0%North Dakota4.4%
5.0%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMWard County8.0%North Dakota6.7%
8.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMWard County9.9%North Dakota11.2%
9.9%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMWard County16.2%North Dakota14.8%
16.2%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMWard County20.8%North Dakota20.9%
20.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMWard County10.7%North Dakota11.0%
10.7%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMWard County4.4%North Dakota4.7%
4.4%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMWard County3.8%North Dakota4.5%
3.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMWard County1.9%North Dakota2.3%
1.9%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMWard County1.6%North Dakota1.0%
1.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMWard County5.5%North Dakota6.4%
5.5%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMWard County4.5%North Dakota5.9%
4.5%
Ward CountyNorth DakotaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Ward County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 20.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 20.9% across North Dakota. Early starts are more common than in North Dakota: 12.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 10.7% there. The morning rush looks much like North Dakota's: 57.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 57.9% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (17.2%) 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 Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward 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
Ward County
North Dakota
United States
2009
7:41 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:41 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:39 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:38 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:35 AM
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:37 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:35 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Ward County were on the road by 7:35 AM, 6 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:41 AM). The shift is sharper than across North Dakota, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Ward County now leave 3 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 Ward County has moved 6 minutes earlier.
How does Ward County's commute time compare?
Metric
Ward County
North Dakota
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
13.9 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
5.7%
8.1%
15.0%
Walked
2.0%
3.2%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.3%
0.3%
3.2%
The average commute time in Ward County is about the same as in North Dakota.
The share of commuters using public transit is about the same as North Dakota. 2.0% commute by walking, lower than the 3.2% in North Dakota.
Ward County, ND Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Ward County, ND is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 68,973 residents against a local median of 6,378. The measure that sets Ward County, ND apart most is one-way commute: 13.9 min, 21% below the local median of 17.5 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 15.8 min on one-way commute, so Ward County, ND sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ward County, ND has the 2nd lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Ward County, North Dakota.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Ward County, North Dakota?
Commuters here spend an estimated 116 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,584 at a typical national wage.
When is rush hour worst in Ward County, North Dakota?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Ward 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.
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).