See what the average commute is in Otero 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 Otero County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Otero County has a longer commute than four out of six neighboring counties, with Sierra County, NM having the shortest commute at 15.5 minutes.

Otero County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 20.6 minutes
--- 9.3% lower than state average
--- #16 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 6.5%
- Workers who drive to work: 91.3%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 9.7%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.4%
- Workers who work from home: 4.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 13.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 6.9%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Sierra County, NM: 15.5 minutes
#2. Lincoln County, NM: 17.8 minutes
#3. Culberson County, TX: 18.0 minutes
#4. Eddy County, NM: 20.1 minutes
#5. Otero County, NM: 20.6 minutes
#6. El Paso County, TX: 23.8 minutes
#7. Hudspeth County, TX: 29.3 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