Commuting in Lawrence County, South Dakota: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:00 PM
Is the commute in Lawrence County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:00 PM
Commute Time Burden in Lawrence County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Lawrence County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 110 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 14% less time on the road than the South Dakota average of 15.3 minutes each way, a difference of 2.1 minutes.
Lawrence County holds about 3.0% of South Dakota's population but accounts for roughly 2.6% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Lawrence County would save about 44 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,369 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)
Lawrence County
13.2 min
26.5 min
110 hrs/yr
$3,423
437
South Dakota
15.3 min
30.7 min
128 hrs/yr
$3,961
353
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
13.2
minutes to get to work in
Lawrence County.
That's 41% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 6.5% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Lawrence County
Car:
87.2%
Worked at Home:
6.5%
Walked:
4.3%
Public Transportation:
0.9%
Motorcycle:
0.6%unusually high
Other:
0.5%
Bicycle:
0.1%
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Lawrence County: 3.9 times more than the South Dakota average (0.6% vs 0.2%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Lawrence County, versus 0.1% in South Dakota.
Commute Mode Trends in Lawrence County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Lawrence 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
Public Transportation
Motorcycle
Other
Bicycle
Taxi
2009
87.0%
5.6%
5.1%
0.7%
0.2%
0.4%
0.9%
0.0%
2010
87.6%
6.0%
4.9%
0.5%
0.3%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
2011
84.7%
7.3%
6.2%
0.2%
0.3%
0.6%
0.7%
0.0%
2012
85.3%
6.6%
5.8%
0.1%
0.3%
1.1%
0.8%
0.0%
2013
85.2%
6.7%
5.8%
0.4%
0.1%
0.8%
1.0%
0.0%
2014
84.8%
6.0%
6.7%
0.5%
0.1%
1.0%
0.9%
0.0%
2015
85.3%
4.5%
8.0%
0.5%
0.0%
0.9%
0.7%
0.0%
2016
85.3%
4.7%
8.6%
0.3%
0.0%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
2017
85.7%
3.9%
8.9%
0.5%
0.1%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
2018
87.2%
4.6%
7.2%
0.3%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2019
89.2%
4.7%
5.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2020
89.0%
5.4%
4.6%
0.3%
0.1%
0.3%
0.2%
0.0%
2021
89.7%
5.1%
3.8%
0.5%
0.1%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
2022
88.6%
6.2%
3.2%
1.2%
0.1%
0.5%
0.2%
0.0%
2023
88.0%
6.0%
3.9%
1.2%
0.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
2024
87.2%
6.5%
4.3%
0.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2021 at 89.7% and lowest in 2011 at 84.7%. Overall it held roughly steady, at 87.0% in 2009 and 87.2% in 2024. It has fallen in each of the last 3 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Lawrence County: its share of workers rose from 5.6% in 2009 to 6.5% in 2024, up 0.9 percentage points. Most of that increase, 1.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Biking lost the most ground, falling from 0.9% to 0.1% of workers (down 0.8 percentage points).
Public transit overtook biking to become the 4th most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 8.9% in 2017 and has since fallen back to 4.3%.
Commute Start Times in Lawrence County
😴Sleeping InThe highest share of 9 AM-or-later starts among South Dakota's 66 counties: 29.3% of commuters leave at 9 AM or later.
🧘Rush-Hour DodgersThe 2nd-lowest share of rush-hour departures among South Dakota's 66 counties: only 43.9% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
🛌Hitting SnoozeThe 2nd-biggest shift to later mornings among South Dakota's 66 counties: the typical start is 10 minutes later than in 2009.
🦉Night OwlThe 3rd-latest start among South Dakota's 66 counties: half of commuters are still at home at 7:49 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Lawrence County?
The bars show when commuters in Lawrence 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 South Dakota for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMLawrence County4.4%South Dakota4.1%
4.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMLawrence County2.4%South Dakota3.1%
2.4%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMLawrence County4.1%South Dakota5.1%
4.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMLawrence County7.0%South Dakota6.9%
7.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMLawrence County10.0%South Dakota11.3%
10.0%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMLawrence County13.5%South Dakota16.2%
13.5%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMLawrence County13.4%South Dakota19.9%
13.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMLawrence County7.0%South Dakota10.2%
7.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMLawrence County9.0%South Dakota3.7%
9.0%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMLawrence County7.7%South Dakota4.3%
7.7%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMLawrence County2.3%South Dakota2.0%
2.3%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMLawrence County2.0%South Dakota1.4%
2.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMLawrence County8.8%South Dakota6.1%
8.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMLawrence County8.5%South Dakota5.8%
8.5%
Lawrence CountySouth DakotaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Lawrence County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 13.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 16.2% across South Dakota. Early starts are less common than in South Dakota: 10.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 12.2% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in South Dakota: 43.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 57.7% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (29.3%) 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County next to South 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
Lawrence County
South Dakota
United States
2009
7:39 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:40 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:38 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:46 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:47 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:47 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:47 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:48 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:49 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:44 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:43 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:48 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:49 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Lawrence County were on the road by 7:49 AM, 10 minutes later than in 2009 (7:39 AM). That goes against the trend across South Dakota, where the typical commuter now leaves 5 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Lawrence County now leave 12 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 Lawrence County has moved 2 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Lawrence County in the whole series.
How does Lawrence County's commute time compare?
Metric
Lawrence County
South Dakota
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
13.2 min
15.3 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
6.5%
9.7%
15.0%
Walked
4.3%
3.1%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.9%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Lawrence County is 13.2 minutes, shorter than the 15.3 minutes in South Dakota.
0.9% commute by public transit, higher than the 0.5% in South Dakota. 4.3% commute by walking, higher than the 3.1% in South Dakota.
Lawrence County, SD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Lawrence County, SD is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 27,233 residents against a local median of 8,892. Lawrence County, SD's work from home, at 6.5%, runs 33% below the 9.6% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 13.2 min against a local median of 17.5 min, 24% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 24% below the local median it puts Lawrence County, SD at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 7.1% on work from home, so Lawrence County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lawrence County, SD has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Lawrence County, South Dakota.
What is the financial impact of commuting in Lawrence County, South Dakota?
Commuters here spend an estimated 110 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,423 at a typical national wage. That's 14% less than the typical South Dakota commuter spends.
What are the busiest morning travel hours in Lawrence County, South Dakota?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Lawrence County, South Dakota. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
How do commute times compare across counties in South Dakota?
Among counties in South Dakota, the shortest average commutes are in Jones County (6.7 min), Bennett County (7.5 min), Jackson County (7.8 min). The longest are in Custer County (25.5 min), McCook County (25.4 min), Turner County (23.1 min).