See what the average commute is in Lea County, NM

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 Lea County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Lea County has a longer commute than five out of seven neighboring counties, with Roosevelt County, NM having the shortest commute at 17.2 minutes.

Lea County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 23.6 minutes
--- 3.9% higher than state average
--- #8 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 12.3%
- Workers who drive to work: 95.6%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 13.0%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.0%
- Workers who work from home: 2.8%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 27.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 2.1%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Roosevelt County, NM: 17.2 minutes
#2. Eddy County, NM: 20.1 minutes
#3. Yoakum County, TX: 20.5 minutes
#4. Gaines County, TX: 20.7 minutes
#5. Winkler County, TX: 22.0 minutes
#6. Lea County, NM: 23.6 minutes
#7. Cochran County, TX: 24.8 minutes
#8. Andrews County, TX: 25.3 minutes

Counties with the best commute in New Mexico
#1. De Baca County: 12.3 minutes
#2. Quay County: 15.5 minutes
#2. Sierra County: 15.5 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in New Mexico
#1. Mora County: 51.3 minutes
#2. Torrance County: 34.5 minutes
#3. Valencia County: 29.2 minutes