Chicago to Minneapolis distance

Chicago to Minneapolis by road

The fastest driving route is 413 miles (665 km) long and takes about 7 hr 50 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-94 (171 mi), I-90 (154 mi), and I-39 (51.8 mi).

It goes through 3 states: Illinois (95.2 mi), Wisconsin (292 mi), and Minnesota (26.0 mi). That’s an average of 53 mph (85 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 3 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 8 hr 50 min. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Chicago and Minneapolis are 356 miles (572 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 16% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 116. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 13th for detour (the average is 14%).

From Chicago, Minneapolis lies to the northwest (bearing 309°), and from Minneapolis, Chicago lies to the southeast. The straight line reaches Minneapolis on a bearing of 305°: on a sphere the bearing keeps changing along the way, which is why the shortest route looks slightly curved on a flat map.

Halfway between Chicago and Minneapolis

Halfway along the straight line, 178 miles (286 km) from each city, is the point 43.4497° N, 90.3846° W. It falls near Yuba (Wisconsin, pop. 51), 6.3 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 207 miles (332 km) from each city, in Lyndon Station (Wisconsin, pop. 473). The two midpoints are 30.8 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone and flight

Chicago and Minneapolis share the same time all year: both are on Central Time.

A direct flight would take about 1 hr 15 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 572 km straight line at 800 km/h (about 497 mph), a typical airliner cruising speed. Real schedules depend on wind, routing and airports, and not every pair has a direct flight.

The two cities

Chicago sits at 588 ft (179 m) and Minneapolis at 830 ft (253 m), 242 ft (74 m) higher.

Chicago has 2.7 million people and Minneapolis 430,324 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).