Counties with the most super commuters in Washington
There are more than 283 million vehicles on the road in the United States, and many of those cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles are used to ferry people to and from their homes and jobs during their daily commutes. A small but growing number of people are walking and biking to work, particularly in compact college towns. Many more take public transportation, especially in major cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, and Seattle—but nationwide, public transit accounts for only about 5% of daily commutes.
The overwhelming majority of people still drive to and from work every day, and the vast majority of those car commuters drive alone—fewer than 10% of Americans carpool. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average one-way commute in the United States has grown to a record 26.9 minutes. That's just shy of an hour a day that average Americans squander behind the wheel, not at home with their families, and instead, burning gas and putting miles on their cars.
For some Americans, however, the commute to work is far from average. A phenomenon known as super commuting has emerged and grown in recent years. Super commuters spend 90 minutes or more—each way—chasing their paychecks every day. The biggest percentage of super commuters work in the extraction industry, with workers pursuing lucrative jobs in remote mines, oil fields, and other energy operations. Many more, however, have been priced out of expensive housing in urban metro areas where high-paying jobs are located, far away from their less-expensive county of residence.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most super commuters in Washington using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percent of workers with a commute over 90 minutes, based on 2020 5-year estimates. Keep reading to see where in your state people are spending the most time going to and from work every day.
You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Washington
#39. Garfield County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 0.0%
--- 60+ minute commute: 12.0%
- Average commute time: 23.3 minutes
--- 4.7 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 19.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 24.6%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (71.0%), carpooled (11.6%), walked to work (4.9%), public transportation (0.0%), worked from home (12.2%)
#38. Adams County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 0.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 7.5%
- Average commute time: 19.9 minutes
--- 8.1 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 23.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 25.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (72.7%), carpooled (17.8%), walked to work (2.3%), public transportation (0.2%), worked from home (5.9%)
#37. Asotin County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 0.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.5%
- Average commute time: 16.3 minutes
--- 11.7 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 18.6%
- Worked outside county of residence: 6.8%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (78.3%), carpooled (9.4%), walked to work (2.5%), public transportation (0.6%), worked from home (7.8%)
#36. Grant County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 0.9%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.3%
- Average commute time: 19.8 minutes
--- 8.2 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 21.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 7.6%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (72.6%), carpooled (13.6%), walked to work (2.7%), public transportation (1.1%), worked from home (8.0%)
#35. Whitman County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.0%
--- 60+ minute commute: 2.6%
- Average commute time: 16.7 minutes
--- 11.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 8.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 4.7%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (61.4%), carpooled (10.8%), walked to work (15.1%), public transportation (4.2%), worked from home (6.1%)
You may also like: Counties with the highest rate of food insecurity in Washington
#34. Yakima County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.2%
--- 60+ minute commute: 3.3%
- Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
--- 8.8 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 3.9%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (80.9%), carpooled (12.0%), walked to work (1.3%), public transportation (0.3%), worked from home (4.2%)
#33. Walla Walla County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.2%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.8%
- Average commute time: 15.8 minutes
--- 12.2 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 16.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 7.6%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (71.8%), carpooled (9.8%), walked to work (6.9%), public transportation (1.0%), worked from home (8.3%)
#32. Benton County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.3%
--- 60+ minute commute: 5.0%
- Average commute time: 21.7 minutes
--- 6.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 20.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (80.8%), carpooled (9.6%), walked to work (1.1%), public transportation (0.8%), worked from home (6.6%)
#31. Okanogan County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.5%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.5%
- Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
--- 8.8 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 14.9%
- Worked outside county of residence: 7.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (72.2%), carpooled (11.3%), walked to work (5.2%), public transportation (0.6%), worked from home (8.9%)
#30. Franklin County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.5%
--- 60+ minute commute: 6.0%
- Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
--- 5.8 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 20.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 47.5%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (76.7%), carpooled (16.1%), walked to work (0.7%), public transportation (0.3%), worked from home (4.9%)
You may also like: What to know about workers' compensation in Washington
#29. Spokane County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 3.6%
- Average commute time: 22 minutes
--- 6.0 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 14.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 1.7%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (75.8%), carpooled (9.5%), walked to work (2.7%), public transportation (2.5%), worked from home (8.1%)
#28. Chelan County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 1.9%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.3%
- Average commute time: 19.7 minutes
--- 8.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 14.9%
- Worked outside county of residence: 18.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (77.3%), carpooled (8.6%), walked to work (3.8%), public transportation (0.9%), worked from home (6.4%)
#27. Columbia County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.1%
--- 60+ minute commute: 7.2%
- Average commute time: 21 minutes
--- 7.0 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 20.6%
- Worked outside county of residence: 26.1%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (71.0%), carpooled (11.4%), walked to work (8.6%), public transportation (0.3%), worked from home (5.1%)
#26. San Juan County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.1%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.6%
- Average commute time: 16.5 minutes
--- 11.5 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 4.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 3.5%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (66.5%), carpooled (6.7%), walked to work (7.2%), public transportation (1.8%), worked from home (15.2%)
#25. King County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.3%
--- 60+ minute commute: 10.0%
- Average commute time: 29.8 minutes
--- 1.8 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 12.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 6.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (58.3%), carpooled (9.3%), walked to work (5.3%), public transportation (12.5%), worked from home (11.9%)
You may also like: Highest-rated specialty museums in Washington, according to Tripadvisor
#24. Douglas County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.3%
--- 60+ minute commute: 4.1%
- Average commute time: 20 minutes
--- 8.0 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 17.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 56.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (82.3%), carpooled (5.3%), walked to work (1.9%), public transportation (0.7%), worked from home (4.9%)
#23. Ferry County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.4%
--- 60+ minute commute: 8.9%
- Average commute time: 24 minutes
--- 4.0 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 16.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 23.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (61.6%), carpooled (14.2%), walked to work (7.9%), public transportation (0.4%), worked from home (14.3%)
#22. Skamania County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.5%
--- 60+ minute commute: 12.2%
- Average commute time: 29.4 minutes
--- 1.4 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 28.6%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (81.6%), carpooled (5.6%), walked to work (3.3%), public transportation (0.1%), worked from home (9.1%)
#21. Klickitat County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 6.3%
- Average commute time: 21.9 minutes
--- 6.1 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 13.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 3.7%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (66.3%), carpooled (8.2%), walked to work (7.2%), public transportation (0.5%), worked from home (15.2%)
#20. Clallam County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.8%
--- 60+ minute commute: 7.0%
- Average commute time: 21 minutes
--- 7.0 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 12.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 5.7%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (74.9%), carpooled (10.2%), walked to work (3.7%), public transportation (1.0%), worked from home (8.3%)
You may also like: Biggest sources of immigrants to Washington
#19. Whatcom County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 2.9%
--- 60+ minute commute: 5.3%
- Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
--- 5.8 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 12.3%
- Worked outside county of residence: 7.7%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (75.6%), carpooled (8.2%), walked to work (3.7%), public transportation (2.4%), worked from home (7.0%)
#18. Clark County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.0%
--- 60+ minute commute: 8.6%
- Average commute time: 27.4 minutes
--- 0.6 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 18.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 3.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (76.8%), carpooled (8.7%), walked to work (1.5%), public transportation (2.0%), worked from home (9.5%)
#17. Stevens County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.2%
--- 60+ minute commute: 12.2%
- Average commute time: 29.8 minutes
--- 1.8 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 23.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 31.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (81.2%), carpooled (7.9%), walked to work (2.8%), public transportation (0.7%), worked from home (6.2%)
#16. Thurston County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.3%
--- 60+ minute commute: 9.5%
- Average commute time: 26.8 minutes
--- 1.2 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 17.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 26.5%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (77.1%), carpooled (9.2%), walked to work (1.9%), public transportation (1.8%), worked from home (8.0%)
#15. Pacific County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.5%
--- 60+ minute commute: 9.4%
- Average commute time: 22.3 minutes
--- 5.7 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 17.6%
- Worked outside county of residence: 12.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (73.2%), carpooled (10.5%), walked to work (5.2%), public transportation (0.4%), worked from home (9.7%)
You may also like: Highest-rated breweries in Washington
#14. Pend Oreille County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.7%
--- 60+ minute commute: 24.9%
- Average commute time: 34 minutes
--- 6.0 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 27.0%
- Worked outside county of residence: 26.2%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (74.5%), carpooled (11.0%), walked to work (1.5%), public transportation (0.1%), worked from home (9.0%)
#13. Lincoln County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.7%
--- 60+ minute commute: 9.4%
- Average commute time: 24.7 minutes
--- 3.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 19.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 30.8%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (69.1%), carpooled (7.9%), walked to work (6.5%), public transportation (0.3%), worked from home (13.9%)
#12. Cowlitz County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 3.8%
--- 60+ minute commute: 10.0%
- Average commute time: 25.7 minutes
--- 2.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 15.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (82.7%), carpooled (9.3%), walked to work (2.1%), public transportation (0.4%), worked from home (4.5%)
#11. Skagit County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 4.0%
--- 60+ minute commute: 10.6%
- Average commute time: 26.1 minutes
--- 1.9 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 21.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 21.8%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (77.0%), carpooled (10.3%), walked to work (2.5%), public transportation (0.7%), worked from home (8.2%)
#10. Snohomish County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 4.0%
--- 60+ minute commute: 15.4%
- Average commute time: 32.5 minutes
--- 4.5 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 34.5%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (72.4%), carpooled (10.7%), walked to work (1.9%), public transportation (4.9%), worked from home (8.6%)
You may also like: Most popular baby names for boys in Washington
#9. Kittitas County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 4.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 9.7%
- Average commute time: 21.3 minutes
--- 6.7 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 13.8%
- Worked outside county of residence: 17.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (74.1%), carpooled (6.6%), walked to work (9.5%), public transportation (1.4%), worked from home (6.5%)
#8. Grays Harbor County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 5.1%
--- 60+ minute commute: 13.0%
- Average commute time: 27.1 minutes
--- 0.9 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 17.0%
- Worked outside county of residence: 17.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (78.0%), carpooled (9.6%), walked to work (3.1%), public transportation (1.0%), worked from home (7.0%)
#7. Lewis County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 5.3%
--- 60+ minute commute: 11.4%
- Average commute time: 28.2 minutes
--- 0.2 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 20.9%
- Worked outside county of residence: 27.5%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (77.7%), carpooled (11.0%), walked to work (4.1%), public transportation (1.1%), worked from home (5.2%)
#6. Jefferson County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 5.7%
--- 60+ minute commute: 10.0%
- Average commute time: 23.9 minutes
--- 4.1 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 12.6%
- Worked outside county of residence: 18.4%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (70.9%), carpooled (6.8%), walked to work (4.9%), public transportation (1.8%), worked from home (12.1%)
#5. Mason County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 5.9%
--- 60+ minute commute: 17.1%
- Average commute time: 35.2 minutes
--- 7.2 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 22.4%
- Worked outside county of residence: 49.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (75.5%), carpooled (13.8%), walked to work (1.6%), public transportation (1.4%), worked from home (6.1%)
You may also like: See how much of its wind energy potential Washington uses
#4. Pierce County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 6.1%
--- 60+ minute commute: 15.6%
- Average commute time: 33 minutes
--- 5.0 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 24.1%
- Worked outside county of residence: 29.1%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (76.0%), carpooled (10.4%), walked to work (2.1%), public transportation (3.7%), worked from home (6.4%)
#3. Island County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 6.1%
--- 60+ minute commute: 13.2%
- Average commute time: 27.7 minutes
--- 0.3 minutes shorter than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 19.9%
- Worked outside county of residence: 30.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (71.7%), carpooled (11.7%), walked to work (3.7%), public transportation (2.0%), worked from home (8.7%)
#2. Kitsap County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 6.9%
--- 60+ minute commute: 13.2%
- Average commute time: 30 minutes
--- 2.0 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 23.2%
- Worked outside county of residence: 17.0%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (68.1%), carpooled (7.7%), walked to work (5.5%), public transportation (8.3%), worked from home (8.1%)
#1. Wahkiakum County
- Workers with 90+ minute commute: 12.6%
--- 60+ minute commute: 22.9%
- Average commute time: 40.8 minutes
--- 12.8 minutes longer than state average
- Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.: 27.7%
- Worked outside county of residence: 38.3%
- Means of transportation: drove alone (74.7%), carpooled (8.1%), walked to work (6.3%), public transportation (0.8%), worked from home (8.6%)
