See what the average commute is in Harlan County, KY

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 Harlan County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Harlan County has a shorter commute than four out of five neighboring counties, with Leslie County, KY having the longest commute at 38.1 minutes.

Harlan County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 23.0 minutes
--- 3.1% lower than state average
--- #36 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 9.3%
- Workers who drive to work: 94.1%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 14.8%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.5%
- Workers who work from home: 3.5%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 15.0%
- Worked outside county of residence: 9.9%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Wise County, VA: 21.6 minutes
#2. Harlan County, KY: 23.0 minutes
#3. Perry County, KY: 23.3 minutes
#4. Letcher County, KY: 26.6 minutes
#5. Lee County, VA: 30.9 minutes
#6. Leslie County, KY: 38.1 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Kentucky
#1. Calloway County: 16.8 minutes
#2. McCracken County: 17.1 minutes
#3. Christian County: 18.1 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Kentucky
#1. Lewis County: 46.0 minutes
#2. Lee County: 44.1 minutes
#3. Robertson County: 41.2 minutes