See what the average commute is in Polk County, WI

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 four out of five neighboring counties, with Barron County, WI having the shortest commute at 20.4 minutes.

Polk County commuting by the numbers
- Average commute: 29.8 minutes
--- 34.0% higher than state average
--- #3 worst commute in the state
- Workers with 1+ hour commute: 14.6%
- Workers who drive to work: 90.4%
--- Workers who carpool to work: 7.6%
- Workers who take public transport to work: 0.1%
- Workers who work from home: 6.3%
- Left for work between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.: 24.5%
- Worked outside county of residence: 19.8%

Commutes in neighboring counties
#1. Barron County, WI: 20.4 minutes
#2. Dunn County, WI: 21.9 minutes
#3. Washington County, MN: 25.7 minutes
#4. St. Croix County, WI: 26.7 minutes
#5. Polk County, WI: 29.8 minutes
#6. Burnett County, WI: 30.4 minutes

Counties with the best commute in Wisconsin
#1. Door County: 17.0 minutes
#2. Ashland County: 17.2 minutes
#3. Eau Claire County: 17.9 minutes

Counties with the worst commute in Wisconsin
#1. Marquette County: 30.6 minutes
#2. Burnett County: 30.4 minutes
#3. Polk County: 29.8 minutes