See what the average commute is in McDowell 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 McDowell County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. McDowell County has a longer commute than three out of five neighboring counties, with Buncombe County, NC having the shortest commute at 20.3 minutes.

McDowell County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 23.7 minutes
--- 5.0% lower than state average
--- #31 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 4.3%
- Workers who drive to work: 94.4%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 9.7%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.0%
- Workers who work from home: 4.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 14.6%
- Worked outside county of residence: 27.1%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Buncombe County, NC: 20.3 minutes
#2. Burke County, NC: 22.6 minutes
#3. Mitchell County, NC: 23.3 minutes
#4. McDowell County, NC: 23.7 minutes
#5. Rutherford County, NC: 25.1 minutes
#6. Yancey County, NC: 28.6 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