The share of Americans working from home skyrocketed during the pandemic. A recent Gallup study found that 45% of full-time workers in the United States – and two-thirds of white-collar workers – were doing their job remotely at least some of the time.
The shift is proving to be a positive development for millions of Americans. Gallup reports that over 90% of remote workers hope that the trend continues after the pandemic, citing the lack of commute time as the chief benefit. (Here is a look at the state where the most people are working from home.)
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average commute time in the United States is 26.9 minutes. For those who travel to and from work every Monday through Friday, this translates to about 4.5 hours per week, or nearly 10 days a year.
Of course, commute times vary from person to person, but in some parts of the country, workers are far more likely to have longer commutes than in others. Using census data, 24/7 Wall St. identified the county or county equivalent with the longest commute in every state.
Among the places on this list, average commute times range from 26.2 minutes up to over 50 minutes. Over the course of a week, these commute times add up, from over four hours to well over eight hours – and from over nine days to over two weeks over the course of a year. In half of the counties on this list, commuters spend four days or more commuting per year than the typical commuter across the state as a whole.
In several of the places on this list, the share of commuters using public transit exceeds the comparable statewide average. In most cases, public transportation is less direct than simply driving from door to door, adding to overall commute time. In half of these counties, commuters are more likely to drive to work alone than commuters statewide, suggesting that long commutes are the result of traffic congestion or greater distance to the workplace. Here is a look at the cities where people lose the most time driving each year.
Click here to see the county with the longest commute in every state
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Alabama: Pickens County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.9 (Alabama: 25.2)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 84.0% (Alabama: 84.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.4% (Alabama: 8.3%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.4% (Alabama: 0.3%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 67
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Alaska: Matanuska-Susitna Borough
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.1 (Alaska: 18.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 73.3% (Alaska: 68.1%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 10.1% (Alaska: 12.1%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.7% (Alaska: 1.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 22
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Arizona: Pinal County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 31.5 (Arizona: 25.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 77.0% (Arizona: 74.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.6% (Arizona: 10.7%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Arizona: 1.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 15
Arkansas: Perry County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.2 (Arkansas: 21.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.5% (Arkansas: 82.3%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.0% (Arkansas: 10.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.1% (Arkansas: 0.3%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 75
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California: Calaveras County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 38.7 (California: 29.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 76.0% (California: 72.1%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 10.3% (California: 10.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.8% (California: 4.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 57
Colorado: Elbert County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 42.0 (Colorado: 25.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 79.0% (Colorado: 72.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.9% (Colorado: 8.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Colorado: 2.8%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 56
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Connecticut: Fairfield County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 31.4 (Connecticut: 26.7)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 69.5% (Connecticut: 76.3%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.3% (Connecticut: 7.8%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 9.3% (Connecticut: 4.4%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 8
Delaware: Sussex County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 26.8 (Delaware: 26.2)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 82.0% (Delaware: 78.8%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.5% (Delaware: 8.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.3% (Delaware: 2.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 3
Florida: Osceola County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 34.3 (Florida: 27.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 77.6% (Florida: 77.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 12.9% (Florida: 9.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.2% (Florida: 1.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 67
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Georgia: Paulding County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 39.2 (Georgia: 28.7)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 81.9% (Georgia: 77.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.9% (Georgia: 9.3%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.6% (Georgia: 1.9%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 154
Hawaii: Honolulu County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 28.4 (Hawaii: 27.1)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 65.2% (Hawaii: 67.6%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 13.4% (Hawaii: 13.4%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 7.1% (Hawaii: 5.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 4
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Idaho: Boise County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.8 (Idaho: 21.2)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 67.9% (Idaho: 77.8%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 13.1% (Idaho: 9.3%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (Idaho: 0.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 41
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Illinois: Calhoun County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 42.6 (Illinois: 29.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 78.9% (Illinois: 71.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.3% (Illinois: 7.8%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.1% (Illinois: 8.8%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 102
Indiana: Crawford County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.2 (Indiana: 23.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.5% (Indiana: 81.3%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 13.7% (Indiana: 9.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Indiana: 0.9%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 92
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Iowa: Guthrie County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 28.2 (Iowa: 19.5)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 82.1% (Iowa: 80.2%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.8% (Iowa: 8.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Iowa: 0.9%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 99
Kansas: Linn County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 34.3 (Kansas: 19.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.1% (Kansas: 80.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.5% (Kansas: 8.9%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.4% (Kansas: 0.4%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 95
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Kentucky: Lewis County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 46.0 (Kentucky: 23.7)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 78.2% (Kentucky: 81.2%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.8% (Kentucky: 9.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (Kentucky: 0.9%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 119
Louisiana: LaSalle Parish
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 39.4 (Louisiana: 25.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 76.2% (Louisiana: 81.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 16.0% (Louisiana: 9.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.6% (Louisiana: 1.1%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 64
Maine: Oxford County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 29.0 (Maine: 24.3)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 81.7% (Maine: 77.2%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.2% (Maine: 9.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.3% (Maine: 0.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 16
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Maryland: Charles County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 45.4 (Maryland: 33.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.2% (Maryland: 72.1%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 6.7% (Maryland: 8.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 5.4% (Maryland: 7.4%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 24
Massachusetts: Norfolk County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 34.6 (Massachusetts: 30.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 65.0% (Massachusetts: 68.0%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 6.3% (Massachusetts: 7.3%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 13.5% (Massachusetts: 9.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 14
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Michigan: Lapeer County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.9 (Michigan: 24.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 84.7% (Michigan: 80.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.2% (Michigan: 8.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.7% (Michigan: 1.3%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 82
Minnesota: Isanti County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 34.9 (Minnesota: 23.8)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 84.3% (Minnesota: 76.0%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.4% (Minnesota: 8.1%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Minnesota: 3.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 87
Mississippi: Amite County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 42.1 (Mississippi: 25.2)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 83.1% (Mississippi: 84.6%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.0% (Mississippi: 9.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.9% (Mississippi: 0.3%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 81
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Missouri: Bollinger County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 33.9 (Missouri: 23.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 76.0% (Missouri: 80.8%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 14.9% (Missouri: 8.4%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.6% (Missouri: 1.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 114
Montana: Musselshell County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 29.1 (Montana: 18.4)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 67.4% (Montana: 75.2%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.1% (Montana: 9.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (Montana: 0.7%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 42
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Nebraska: Cass County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 28.5 (Nebraska: 18.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 84.5% (Nebraska: 80.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.3% (Nebraska: 9.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% (Nebraska: 0.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 73
Nevada: Elko County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 29.2 (Nevada: 24.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 65.1% (Nevada: 76.8%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 14.4% (Nevada: 10.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 11.9% (Nevada: 2.9%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 15
New Hampshire: Rockingham County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 30.5 (New Hampshire: 27.4)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 81.0% (New Hampshire: 79.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 6.1% (New Hampshire: 7.7%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.8% (New Hampshire: 0.8%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 10
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New Jersey: Sussex County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 38.0 (New Jersey: 32.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 83.0% (New Jersey: 69.6%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 5.7% (New Jersey: 7.8%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.6% (New Jersey: 10.8%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 21
New Mexico: Mora County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 51.3 (New Mexico: 22.7)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 65.1% (New Mexico: 79.1%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 23.3% (New Mexico: 10.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (New Mexico: 1.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 30
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New York: Bronx County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 45.3 (New York: 33.5)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 24.2% (New York: 52.3%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 4.4% (New York: 6.4%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 57.4% (New York: 26.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 62
North Carolina: Gates County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 36.9 (North Carolina: 24.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 88.6% (North Carolina: 79.3%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.9% (North Carolina: 9.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (North Carolina: 1.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 100
North Dakota: Renville County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 35.5 (North Dakota: 17.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 75.8% (North Dakota: 80.8%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 13.1% (North Dakota: 8.9%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.6% (North Dakota: 0.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 41
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Ohio: Adams County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 36.4 (Ohio: 23.7)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.6% (Ohio: 81.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 10.9% (Ohio: 7.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.0% (Ohio: 1.4%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 88
Oklahoma: Lincoln County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 30.8 (Oklahoma: 22.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 82.0% (Oklahoma: 81.6%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.9% (Oklahoma: 9.7%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (Oklahoma: 0.4%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 76
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Oregon: Columbia County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 34.7 (Oregon: 23.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 77.9% (Oregon: 70.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.8% (Oregon: 9.4%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.5% (Oregon: 4.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 33
Pennsylvania: Pike County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 45.6 (Pennsylvania: 27.1)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 80.7% (Pennsylvania: 74.4%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.1% (Pennsylvania: 8.2%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.9% (Pennsylvania: 5.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 67
Rhode Island: Washington County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 27.3 (Rhode Island: 25.3)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 82.3% (Rhode Island: 79.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 5.6% (Rhode Island: 8.1%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.4% (Rhode Island: 2.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 5
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South Carolina: Williamsburg County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 31.7 (South Carolina: 25.1)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 85.8% (South Carolina: 81.5%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.2% (South Carolina: 8.9%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.2% (South Carolina: 0.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 46
South Dakota: Custer County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 28.5 (South Dakota: 17.3)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 75.2% (South Dakota: 80.0%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.7% (South Dakota: 8.1%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.1% (South Dakota: 0.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 51
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Tennessee: Trousdale County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 41.0 (Tennessee: 25.4)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 79.1% (Tennessee: 81.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 15.2% (Tennessee: 8.8%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.0% reported (Tennessee: 0.6%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 95
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Texas: San Jacinto County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 40.5 (Texas: 26.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 78.6% (Texas: 78.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.4% (Texas: 9.9%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.5% (Texas: 1.3%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 225
Utah: Tooele County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 29.0 (Utah: 22.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 73.7% (Utah: 74.4%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 15.8% (Utah: 10.4%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 1.5% (Utah: 2.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 25
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Vermont: Grand Isle County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 33.4 (Vermont: 23.3)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 79.6% (Vermont: 74.4%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 7.8% (Vermont: 8.5%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.2% (Vermont: 1.2%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 14
Virginia: Surry County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 42.2 (Virginia: 28.6)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 83.5% (Virginia: 74.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.3% (Virginia: 8.9%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 3.0% (Virginia: 4.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 132
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Washington: Wahkiakum County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 40.8 (Washington: 28.0)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 74.7% (Washington: 69.7%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.1% (Washington: 9.7%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.8% (Washington: 6.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 38
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West Virginia: Clay County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 43.0 (West Virginia: 26.1)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 77.3% (West Virginia: 82.0%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 19.0% (West Virginia: 8.6%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.7% (West Virginia: 0.8%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 55
Wisconsin: Marquette County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 30.6 (Wisconsin: 22.2)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 81.9% (Wisconsin: 79.9%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 8.4% (Wisconsin: 7.7%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 0.3% (Wisconsin: 1.5%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 72
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Wyoming: Converse County
> Avg. commute time (minutes): 26.2 (Wyoming: 17.9)
> Share of commuters driving alone: 72.7% (Wyoming: 77.4%)
> Share of commuters carpooling: 11.9% (Wyoming: 10.0%)
> Share of commuters using public transit: 4.4% (Wyoming: 1.0%)
> No. of counties considered in ranking: 22
Methodology
To determine the county or county equivalent with the longest commute in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year estimates of average commute times from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey.
Counties were excluded if average commute time estimates were not available in the 2020 ACS, if there were fewer than 1,000 workers 16 years and over who did not work from home, or if the sampling error associated with a county’s data was deemed too high.
The sampling error was defined as too high if the coefficient of variation — a statistical assessment of how reliable an estimate is — for a county’s average commute time was above 15% and greater than two standard deviations above the mean CV for all counties’ average commute times. We similarly excluded counties that had a sampling error too high for their population, using the same definition.
Counties and county equivalents were ranked based on their average commute time. To break ties, we used the share of workers with a commute of 45 minutes or longer.
Additional information on the share of commuters driving alone, carpooling, and using public transit are also five-year estimates from the 2020 ACS. Because the Census Bureau didn’t release one-year estimates for 2020 due to data collection issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all ACS data are five-year estimates.
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