South Dakota Commute Time Map & Patterns

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You 8/20/26, 6:06 PM
How much time do drivers in South Dakota spend on the road daily?
Map AI 8/20/26, 6:06 PM

Commute Time Burden in South Dakota: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in South Dakota spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 128 hours, about 5.3 full days, spent commuting.

That is 32% less time on the road than the US average of 22.5 minutes each way, a difference of 7.1 minutes.

South Dakota holds about 0.3% of US's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in South Dakota would save about 51 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,584 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)
South Dakota 15.3 min 30.7 min 128 hrs/yr $3,961 353
US 22.5 min 44.9 min 187 hrs/yr $5,803 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: South Dakota Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in South Dakota
  1. Jones County (6.4 min)
  2. Jackson County (7.5 min)
  3. Bennett County (7.7 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in South Dakota
  1. McCook County (26.4 min)
  2. Ziebach County (25.1 min)
  3. Turner County (25.1 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

On average, it takes 15.3 minutes to get to work in South Dakota. That's 32% shorter than the 22.5-minute U.S. average.

Among the top 3 fastest states in US

The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM , followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM .

Most people travel to work by Car , followed by Worked at Home . About 9.3% work from home.

Commute mode distribution

  • Car: 85.6%
  • Worked at Home: 9.3%
  • Walked: 3.2%
  • Other: 0.8%
  • Public Transportation: 0.5% unusually low
  • Bicycle: 0.3%
  • Motorcycle: 0.2%
  • Taxi: < 0.1%

Public Transportation commuting is unusually low in South Dakota: 7.0 times less than the US average (0.5% vs 3.5%).

How does South Dakota's commute time compare?

Metric South Dakota US Average
Avg. Commute Time 15.3 min 22.5 min
Work From Home 9.3% 13.4%
Walked 3.2% 2.4%
Public Transit 0.5% 3.5%

The average commute time in South Dakota is 15.3 minutes, shorter than the 22.5 minutes in US.

0.5% commute by public transit, lower than the 3.5% in US. 3.2% commute by walking, higher than the 2.4% in US.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in South Dakota.

Is commuting expensive in South Dakota?

Commuters here spend an estimated 128 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,961 at a typical national wage. That's 32% less than the typical US commuter spends.

What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in South Dakota?

Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in South 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 South Dakota?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.5% of commuters use it versus 3.5% in US, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in South Dakota?

Among counties in South Dakota, the shortest average commutes are in Jones County (6.4 min), Jackson County (7.5 min), Bennett County (7.7 min). The longest are in McCook County (26.4 min), Ziebach County (25.1 min), Turner County (25.1 min).