See what the average commute is in Palo Alto County, IA

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 Palo Alto County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Palo Alto County has a shorter commute than five out of six neighboring counties, with Pocahontas County, IA having the longest commute at 19.7 minutes.

Palo Alto County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 16.0 minutes
--- 17.9% lower than state average
--- #6 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 4.1%
- Workers who drive to work: 90.4%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 14.2%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.5%
- Workers who work from home: 3.9%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 16.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 27.7%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Kossuth County, IA: 15.1 minutes
#2. Palo Alto County, IA: 16.0 minutes
#3. Dickinson County, IA: 16.1 minutes
#4. Clay County, IA: 17.0 minutes
#5. Humboldt County, IA: 17.8 minutes
#6. Emmet County, IA: 19.3 minutes
#7. Pocahontas County, IA: 19.7 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Iowa
#1. Sioux County: 13.4 minutes
#2. Buena Vista County: 13.8 minutes
#3. Carroll County: 13.9 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Iowa
#1. Guthrie County: 28.2 minutes
#2. Harrison County: 27.9 minutes
#3. Madison County: 27.2 minutes