Commuting in Elk County, Kansas: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:32 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Elk County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:32 PM
Commute Time Burden in Elk County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Elk County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 27% more time on the road than the Kansas average of 17.2 minutes each way, a difference of 4.6 minutes.
Elk County holds about 0.1% of Kansas's population and accounts for roughly 0.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Elk County would save about 73 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,251 at the same national wage assumption used above.
Area
One-Way Commute
Daily Round-Trip
Yearly Time Spent
Estimated Yearly Cost
Local Road Traffic (VPD)
Elk County
21.8 min
43.6 min
182 hrs/yr
$5,628
149
Kansas
17.2 min
34.4 min
143 hrs/yr
$4,448
662
United States
22.4 min
44.8 min
187 hrs/yr
$5,790
1,355
The estimated yearly cost applies a single national rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area - treat it
as a rough estimate, not a paycheck figure. Local road traffic counts, vehicles per day
on non-highway roads, come from proprietary
Ticon and
TrafficZoom data.
On average, it takes
21.8
minutes to get to work in
Elk County.
That's 3% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 91% of counties in Kansas
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 10.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Elk County
Car:
83.9%
Worked at Home:
10.2%
Walked:
5.2%
Other:
0.7%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Elk County, versus 0.1% in Kansas.
Public transit is essentially absent in Elk County, versus 0.4% in Kansas.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Elk County, versus 0.2% in Kansas.
Biking is essentially absent in Elk County, versus 0.3% in Kansas.
Commute Mode Trends in Elk County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Elk County get to work, as a share of all workers aged 16 and over, across 16 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) releases from 2009 to 2024. Each release is a 5-year estimate: the 2024 figures cover surveys taken from 2020 to 2024. Because neighboring releases share most of their survey years, the lines move gradually, and a sudden change such as the rise of remote work in 2020 spreads across several releases. Hover over or tap a line to highlight it, and use the legend to show or hide a mode. Driving starts hidden so the smaller modes stay readable.
Share of workers aged 16 and over, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show commute mode data by year
Year
Car
Worked at Home
Walked
Other
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
2009
84.2%
3.9%
10.2%
1.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
90.1%
3.5%
5.6%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
88.3%
3.4%
7.4%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2012
88.0%
4.7%
6.8%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2013
85.6%
7.8%
5.9%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2014
85.8%
7.7%
5.1%
1.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
83.6%
8.9%
4.9%
2.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2016
82.9%
9.6%
4.8%
2.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
2017
84.6%
6.8%
5.1%
3.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
2018
89.3%
2.0%
5.9%
2.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
2019
90.6%
2.2%
4.7%
2.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2020
90.6%
4.0%
3.4%
1.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2021
90.1%
4.4%
2.6%
2.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
2022
90.7%
5.2%
2.4%
1.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
87.5%
6.1%
4.7%
1.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
83.9%
10.2%
5.2%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share was highest in 2022 at 90.7% and lowest in 2016 at 82.9%. Overall it held roughly steady, at 84.2% in 2009 and 83.9% in 2024. It has fallen in each of the last 2 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Elk County: its share of workers rose from 3.9% in 2009 to 10.2% in 2024, up 6.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 8.0 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 10.2% to 5.2% of workers (down 5.0 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2020 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Elk County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Elk County?
The bars show when commuters in Elk County leave home for work, as a share of everyone who commutes (people who work from home are not counted), from the 2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The thin violet marks show Kansas for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMElk County8.0%Kansas4.7%
8.0%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMElk County6.9%Kansas3.5%
6.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMElk County3.6%Kansas5.2%
3.6%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMElk County2.8%Kansas7.6%
2.8%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMElk County14.5%Kansas10.3%
14.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMElk County20.8%Kansas14.9%
20.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMElk County17.5%Kansas16.8%
17.5%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMElk County5.7%Kansas10.4%
5.7%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMElk County3.7%Kansas4.5%
3.7%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMElk County2.4%Kansas5.0%
2.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMElk County1.8%Kansas2.5%
1.8%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMElk County1.6%Kansas1.1%
1.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMElk County1.0%Kansas7.0%
1.0%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMElk County9.7%Kansas6.6%
9.7%
Elk CountyKansasSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Elk County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 20.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.9% across Kansas. Early starts are more common than in Kansas: 18.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 13.5% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Kansas: 58.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 52.3% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.4%) leave at 9 AM or later, which usually points to shift work, flexible hours or part-time jobs.
When people leave matters as much as how far they go. Rush-hour traffic shrinks how much ground a 20-minute trip covers, so a trade area drawn as a simple circle often takes in neighborhoods that customers or staff would never drive from and misses others that are an easy trip. A drive-time zone, also called an isochrone, outlines every place within a set number of minutes of an address, which makes it the more honest way to size a store's catchment, a hiring area or the commute from a new home.
See it for yourself on the interactive map: click any spot in Elk County, pick a 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute drive and see the local demographics of the people who live within that exact drive time.
Is Elk County Waking Up Earlier? Typical Departure Time, 2009-2024
Each line follows the typical (median) departure time: the moment by which half of commuters have already left home. Higher on the chart means a later start. Setting Elk County next to Kansas and the U.S. shows whether local mornings are drifting earlier or later than everyone else's. The figures span 16 ACS 5-year releases, so changes build up gradually rather than jumping from one year to the next.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
Elk County
Kansas
United States
2009
7:14 AM
7:39 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:01 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:02 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:14 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:11 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:08 AM
7:38 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:26 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:29 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:20 AM
7:38 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:25 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:24 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:20 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:15 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:17 AM
7:37 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:15 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:21 AM
7:37 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Elk County were on the road by 7:21 AM, 7 minutes later than in 2009 (7:14 AM). That goes against the trend across Kansas, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Elk County now leave 17 minutes earlier than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Elk County has moved 4 minutes earlier.
How does Elk County's commute time compare?
Metric
Elk County
Kansas
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
21.8 min
17.2 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
10.2%
11.8%
15.0%
Walked
5.2%
2.3%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.4%
3.2%
The average commute time in Elk County is 21.8 minutes, longer than the 17.2 minutes in Kansas.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.4% in Kansas. 5.2% commute by walking, higher than the 2.3% in Kansas.
Elk County, KS Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Elk County, KS is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 2,453 residents against a local median of 8,505. Where Elk County, KS breaks from the counties next to it is work from home, sitting 140% above the local median of 4.2% at 10.2%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.8 min against a local median of 16.4 min, 33% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 33% above the local median it puts Elk County, KS at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within 2.7% of each other on work from home, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Elk County, KS, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Elk County, KS has the highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Elk County, Kansas.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Elk County, Kansas?
Commuters here spend an estimated 182 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,628 at a typical national wage. That's 27% more than the typical Kansas commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Elk County, Kansas?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Elk County, Kansas. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Elk County, Kansas?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.4% in Kansas, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in Kansas have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Kansas, the shortest average commutes are in Wichita County (7.0 min), Scott County (7.1 min), Greeley County (7.2 min). The longest are in Linn County (31.3 min), Miami County (30.8 min), Jefferson County (30.3 min).