See what the average commute is in Shelby 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 Shelby County using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics are calculated based on 2020 5-year estimates. Shelby County has a shorter commute than four out of five neighboring counties, with Tipton County, TN having the longest commute at 33.8 minutes.

Shelby County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 22.9 minutes
--- 9.9% lower than state average
--- #16 best commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 2.6%
- Workers who drive to work: 92.4%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 9.6%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.9%
- Workers who work from home: 4.4%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 11.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 1.0%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Mississippi County, AR: 18.7 minutes
#2. Shelby County, TN: 22.9 minutes
#3. DeSoto County, MS: 26.1 minutes
#4. Marshall County, MS: 28.5 minutes
#5. Fayette County, TN: 33.1 minutes
#6. Tipton County, TN: 33.8 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