Commuting in Spink 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, 11:56 AM
What does a typical morning commute look like in Spink County?
Map AI9/24/26, 11:56 AM
Commute Time Burden in Spink County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Spink County spend about 23 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 95 hours, about 4.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 25% less time on the road than the South Dakota average of 15.3 minutes each way, a difference of 3.9 minutes.
Spink County holds about 0.7% of South Dakota's population but accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Spink County would save about 38 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,183 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)
Spink County
11.4 min
22.9 min
95 hrs/yr
$2,956
175
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
11.4
minutes to get to work in
Spink County.
That's 49% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 14.7% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Spink County
Car:
75.6%
Worked at Home:
14.7%
Walked:
8.5%
Other:
0.9%
Bicycle:
0.3%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public transit is essentially absent in Spink County, versus 0.5% in South Dakota.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Spink County, versus 0.1% in South Dakota.
Commute Mode Trends in Spink County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Spink 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
Motorcycle
Public Transportation
Taxi
2009
75.3%
12.1%
10.6%
0.7%
1.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
2010
75.0%
10.5%
13.2%
0.4%
0.6%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2011
79.4%
10.6%
8.5%
0.5%
0.7%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2012
79.6%
10.9%
7.3%
0.9%
1.0%
0.1%
0.2%
0.0%
2013
80.7%
10.6%
7.1%
0.4%
1.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
2014
81.1%
11.2%
6.4%
0.5%
0.8%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
2015
81.2%
11.8%
5.7%
0.5%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
82.9%
11.6%
4.2%
0.6%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
84.3%
10.6%
4.7%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
84.0%
11.0%
4.6%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
83.3%
10.8%
5.5%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
83.1%
11.3%
5.0%
0.5%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
80.6%
13.1%
5.9%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
77.2%
13.7%
8.4%
0.5%
0.1%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
76.4%
13.6%
8.5%
1.2%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
75.6%
14.7%
8.5%
0.9%
0.3%
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 was highest in 2017 at 84.3% and lowest in 2010 at 75.0%. Overall it held roughly steady, at 75.3% in 2009 and 75.6% in 2024. It has fallen in each of the last 7 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Spink County: its share of workers rose from 12.1% in 2009 to 14.7% in 2024, up 2.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 3.9 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 10.6% to 8.5% of workers (down 2.1 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Spink County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Spink County?
The bars show when commuters in Spink 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 AMSpink County2.5%South Dakota4.1%
2.5%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMSpink County2.9%South Dakota3.1%
2.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMSpink County2.5%South Dakota5.1%
2.5%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMSpink County9.7%South Dakota6.9%
9.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMSpink County9.3%South Dakota11.3%
9.3%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMSpink County10.8%South Dakota16.2%
10.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMSpink County24.4%South Dakota19.9%
24.4%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMSpink County16.6%South Dakota10.2%
16.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMSpink County1.6%South Dakota3.7%
1.6%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMSpink County7.2%South Dakota4.3%
7.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMSpink County1.4%South Dakota2.0%
1.4%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMSpink County0.6%South Dakota1.4%
0.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMSpink County6.4%South Dakota6.1%
6.4%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMSpink County4.1%South Dakota5.8%
4.1%
Spink CountySouth DakotaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Spink County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 24.4% of commuters leave home, compared with 19.9% across South Dakota. Early starts are less common than in South Dakota: 7.9% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 12.2% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in South Dakota: 61.1% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 57.7% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (19.6%) 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 Spink 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 Spink 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 Spink 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
Spink County
South Dakota
United States
2009
7:47 AM
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:47 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:43 AM
7:40 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:42 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:40 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:39 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:41 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:40 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:37 AM
7:36 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:38 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:45 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Spink County were on the road by 7:45 AM, 2 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:47 AM). Across South Dakota the shift was bigger still, with the typical start moving 5 minutes earlier. Commuters in Spink County now leave 7 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 Spink County has moved 6 minutes later.
How does Spink County's commute time compare?
Metric
Spink County
South Dakota
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
11.4 min
15.3 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
08:00 AM – 08:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
14.7%
9.7%
15.0%
Walked
8.5%
3.1%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Spink County is 11.4 minutes, shorter than the 15.3 minutes in South Dakota.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.5% in South Dakota. 8.5% commute by walking, higher than the 3.1% in South Dakota.
Spink County, SD Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Spink County, SD is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 6,219 residents against a local median of 3,917. Spink County, SD's work from home, at 14.7%, runs 34% above the 10.9% typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread 10.9% on work from home, so Spink County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Spink County, SD has the 2nd highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Spink County, South Dakota.
Is living in Spink County, South Dakota good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 95 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $2,956 at a typical national wage. That's 25% less than the typical South Dakota commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Spink County, South Dakota?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Spink County, South Dakota. 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.
Do people use public transit in Spink County, South Dakota?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.5% in South Dakota, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Is Spink County, South Dakota a good location for remote and hybrid workers?
About 14.7% of workers here already work from home. Working from home just 2 days a week in Spink County would save about 38 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,183 at the same national wage assumption used above.
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 (6.7 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).