See what the average commute is in Santa Barbara County, CA

American commutes are getting longer, with a U.S. Census Bureau report released in 2021 revealing the average one-way commute in 2019 reached a record high of 27.6 minutes. Combined with high gas prices, workers' daily commutes are increasingly time-consuming and expensive—so much so that some are calling for commutes to count as part of the workday.

Even worse are travel times for "super commuters"—that unlucky 10% of Americans traveling more than one hour each way to punch a clock.

Stacker compiled statistics about the average commute in Santa Barbara County using using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Santa Barbara County has a shorter commute than both of its neighboring counties, with Ventura County, CA having the longest commute at 26.9 minutes.

Santa Barbara County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 20.6 minutes
--- 30.9% lower than state average
--- #8 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 5.1%
- Workers who drive to work: 81.2%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 13.1%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 2.9%
- Workers who work from home: 8.0%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 12.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 6.5%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Santa Barbara County, CA: 20.6 minutes
#2. San Luis Obispo County, CA: 22.0 minutes
#3. Ventura County, CA: 26.9 minutes

Counties with the best commute in California
#1. Del Norte County: 15.6 minutes
#1. Mono County: 15.6 minutes
#3. Inyo County: 17.1 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in California
#1. Calaveras County: 38.7 minutes
#2. Contra Costa County: 38.5 minutes
#3. San Benito County: 36.3 minutes