See what the average commute is in Polk County, GA

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 Polk County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Polk County has a shorter commute than four out of five neighboring counties, with Paulding County, GA having the longest commute at 39.2 minutes.

Polk County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 29.2 minutes
--- 1.2% higher than state average
--- #51 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 13.8%
- Workers who drive to work: 93.0%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 10.4%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.7%
- Workers who work from home: 3.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 21.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 40.9%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Floyd County, GA: 23.7 minutes
#2. Polk County, GA: 29.2 minutes
#3. Bartow County, GA: 29.3 minutes
#4. Haralson County, GA: 29.4 minutes
#5. Cleburne County, AL: 33.7 minutes
#6. Paulding County, GA: 39.2 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Georgia
#1. Chattahoochee County: 11.1 minutes
#2. Ben Hill County: 15.0 minutes
#3. Tift County: 18.5 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Georgia
#1. Paulding County: 39.2 minutes
#2. Jasper County: 35.7 minutes
#3. Meriwether County: 35.5 minutes