Commuting in Delaware County, Ohio: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:09 PM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Delaware County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:09 PM
Commute Time Burden in Delaware County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Delaware County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 198 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting. That is 13% more time on the road than the Ohio average of 21.1 minutes each way, a difference of 2.7 minutes.
Delaware County holds about 1.9% of Ohio's population but accounts for roughly 2.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Delaware County would save about 79 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,460 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)
Delaware County
23.8 min
47.6 min
198 hrs/yr
$6,150
2,067
Ohio
21.1 min
42.2 min
176 hrs/yr
$5,447
1,212
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
23.8
minutes to get to work in
Delaware County.
That's 6% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 80% of counties in Ohio
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 25.9% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Delaware County
Car:
72.1%
Worked at Home:
25.9%
Walked:
1.3%
Other:
0.5%
Public Transportation:
0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually rare in Delaware County: 3.0 times less than the Ohio average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Delaware County: 8.5 times less than the Ohio average (0.1% vs 1.0%).
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Delaware County: 14.8 times less than the Ohio average (0.0% vs 0.2%).
Biking is unusually rare in Delaware County: 3.4 times less than the Ohio average (0.1% vs 0.3%).
Commute Mode Trends in Delaware County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Delaware 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
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
90.8%
6.6%
1.2%
0.8%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.2%
2010
90.9%
6.7%
1.2%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2011
90.8%
7.2%
1.1%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2012
91.0%
6.7%
1.3%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2013
91.0%
6.8%
1.2%
0.4%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2014
90.8%
7.0%
1.1%
0.6%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2015
91.0%
6.7%
1.1%
0.6%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2016
90.8%
6.9%
1.1%
0.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2017
90.6%
7.5%
1.1%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2018
89.6%
8.1%
1.3%
0.6%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2019
89.6%
8.3%
1.2%
0.5%
0.3%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
85.4%
12.7%
1.1%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
80.0%
18.0%
1.2%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
76.6%
21.3%
1.3%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
74.5%
23.7%
1.0%
0.5%
0.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
72.1%
25.9%
1.3%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
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 2012 at 91.0%. Overall it fell from 90.8% in 2009 to 72.1% in 2024, down 18.7 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Delaware County: its share of workers rose from 6.6% in 2009 to 25.9% in 2024, up 19.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 17.6 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Commute Start Times in Delaware County
🚦Rush-Hour RegularsThe highest share of rush-hour departures among Ohio's 88 counties: 53.7% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Delaware County?
The bars show when commuters in Delaware 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 Ohio for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMDelaware County2.8%Ohio5.2%
2.8%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMDelaware County2.7%Ohio3.9%
2.7%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMDelaware County3.6%Ohio5.3%
3.6%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMDelaware County7.1%Ohio8.4%
7.1%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMDelaware County11.4%Ohio10.1%
11.4%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMDelaware County14.7%Ohio13.4%
14.7%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMDelaware County13.8%Ohio12.2%
13.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMDelaware County13.9%Ohio10.5%
13.9%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMDelaware County7.7%Ohio5.5%
7.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMDelaware County6.6%Ohio6.0%
6.6%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMDelaware County2.7%Ohio2.8%
2.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMDelaware County1.2%Ohio1.5%
1.2%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMDelaware County6.4%Ohio7.7%
6.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMDelaware County5.4%Ohio7.8%
5.4%
Delaware CountyOhioSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Delaware County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.7% of commuters leave home, compared with 13.4% across Ohio. Early starts are less common than in Ohio: 9.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.3% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Ohio: 53.7% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.2% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (22.4%) 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County next to Ohio 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
Delaware County
Ohio
United States
2009
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:41 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:42 AM
7:42 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:41 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:41 AM
7:41 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:42 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:43 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:45 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:46 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:47 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Delaware County were on the road by 7:47 AM, 5 minutes later than in 2009 (7:42 AM). That goes against the trend across Ohio, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Delaware County now leave 9 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 Delaware County has moved 4 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Delaware County in the whole series.
How does Delaware County's commute time compare?
Metric
Delaware County
Ohio
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
23.8 min
21.1 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
25.9%
13.0%
15.0%
Walked
1.3%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
1.0%
3.2%
The average commute time in Delaware County is 23.8 minutes, longer than the 21.1 minutes in Ohio.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 1.0% in Ohio. 1.3% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Ohio.
Delaware County, OH Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Delaware County, OH is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 226,834 residents against a local median of 65,020. Where Delaware County, OH breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 71% above the local median of 15.2% at 25.9%.
The counties themselves spread 15.5% on work from home, so Delaware County, OH sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Delaware County, OH has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Delaware County, Ohio.
Is living in Delaware County, Ohio good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 198 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,150 at a typical national wage. That's 13% more than the typical Ohio commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Delaware County, Ohio?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Delaware County, Ohio. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How common is public transit use in Delaware County, Ohio?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 1.0% in Ohio, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How much time do residents in Delaware County, Ohio save by working from home?
About 25.9% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Delaware County would save about 79 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,460 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Which counties in Ohio have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Ohio, the shortest average commutes are in Hancock County (15.3 min), Van Wert County (15.5 min), Mercer County (16.0 min). The longest are in Morgan County (32.5 min), Vinton County (32.0 min), Brown County (32.0 min).