See what the average commute is in Polk County, TN

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 Bradley County, TN having the shortest commute at 21.9 minutes.

Polk County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 29.7 minutes
--- 16.8% higher than state average
--- #28 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 9.4%
- Workers who drive to work: 95.8%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 10.7%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.0%
- Workers who work from home: 3.1%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 19.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 47.8%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Bradley County, TN: 21.9 minutes
#2. McMinn County, TN: 23.0 minutes
#3. Cherokee County, NC: 26.7 minutes
#4. Murray County, GA: 27.0 minutes
#5. Monroe County, TN: 28.7 minutes
#6. Polk County, TN: 29.7 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Tennessee
#1. Madison County: 18.5 minutes
#2. Obion County: 20.2 minutes
#3. Hamblen County: 20.5 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Tennessee
#1. Trousdale County: 41.0 minutes
#2. Hickman County: 36.8 minutes
#3. Houston County: 36.6 minutes