See what the average commute is in Polk County, OR

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 Polk County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Polk County has a longer commute than all of its five neighboring counties, with Tillamook County, OR having the shortest commute at 19.2 minutes.

Polk County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 27.0 minutes
--- 12.7% higher than state average
--- #4 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 9.3%
- Workers who drive to work: 85.7%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 9.9%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.7%
- Workers who work from home: 10.0%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 14.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 54.4%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Tillamook County, OR: 19.2 minutes
#2. Lincoln County, OR: 19.4 minutes
#3. Linn County, OR: 23.9 minutes
#4. Marion County, OR: 24.4 minutes
#5. Yamhill County, OR: 26.2 minutes
#6. Polk County, OR: 27.0 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Oregon
#1. Lake County: 13.1 minutes
#2. Gilliam County: 14.7 minutes
#3. Baker County: 14.9 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Oregon
#1. Columbia County: 34.7 minutes
#2. Clackamas County: 28.8 minutes
#3. Jefferson County: 27.1 minutes