See what the average commute is in Burke County, NC

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 Burke County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Burke County has a shorter commute than all of its six neighboring counties, with Lincoln County, NC having the longest commute at 30.2 minutes.

Burke County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 22.6 minutes
--- 9.4% lower than state average
--- #20 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 4.9%
- Workers who drive to work: 94.0%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 8.2%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.3%
- Workers who work from home: 4.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 15.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 34.0%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Burke County, NC: 22.6 minutes
#2. Catawba County, NC: 22.7 minutes
#3. McDowell County, NC: 23.7 minutes
#4. Cleveland County, NC: 24.1 minutes
#5. Rutherford County, NC: 25.1 minutes
#6. Caldwell County, NC: 25.8 minutes
#7. Lincoln County, NC: 30.2 minutes

Counties with the best commute in North Carolina
#1. Swain County: 19.0 minutes
#2. Hyde County: 19.6 minutes
#2. Jackson County: 19.6 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in North Carolina
#1. Gates County: 36.9 minutes
#2. Currituck County: 35.1 minutes
#3. Perquimans County: 34.4 minutes