See what the average commute is in Polk County, MO

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 Hickory County, MO having the longest commute at 33.2 minutes.

Polk County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 24.8 minutes
--- 3.7% higher than state average
--- #55 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 6.3%
- Workers who drive to work: 88.3%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 8.6%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.1%
- Workers who work from home: 7.5%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 16.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 37.0%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Greene County, MO: 19.9 minutes
#2. Polk County, MO: 24.8 minutes
#3. St. Clair County, MO: 25.8 minutes
#4. Dade County, MO: 26.3 minutes
#5. Dallas County, MO: 28.4 minutes
#6. Hickory County, MO: 33.2 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Missouri
#1. Nodaway County: 15.6 minutes
#2. Grundy County: 16.4 minutes
#3. Adair County: 16.6 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Missouri
#1. Bollinger County: 33.9 minutes
#2. Caldwell County: 33.7 minutes
#3. Worth County: 33.6 minutes