See what the average commute is in Wake 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 Wake County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Wake County has a shorter commute than four out of six neighboring counties, with Franklin County, NC having the longest commute at 32.8 minutes.

Wake County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 25.6 minutes
--- 2.6% higher than state average
--- #49 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 5.2%
- Workers who drive to work: 83.1%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 7.4%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 1.0%
- Workers who work from home: 13.3%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 8.0%
- Worked outside county of residence: 15.4%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Durham County, NC: 23.0 minutes
#2. Nash County, NC: 23.5 minutes
#3. Wake County, NC: 25.6 minutes
#4. Granville County, NC: 29.2 minutes
#5. Johnston County, NC: 31.4 minutes
#6. Harnett County, NC: 31.9 minutes
#7. Franklin County, NC: 32.8 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