Letcher County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Letcher County, Kentucky: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Letcher County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Letcher County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting. That is about the same time on the road as the Kentucky average of 20.8 minutes each way.
Letcher County holds about 0.5% of Kentucky's population and accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Letcher County would save about 69 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,138 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letcher County | 20.7 min | 41.4 min | 172 hrs/yr | $5,345 | 307 |
| Kentucky | 20.8 min | 41.6 min | 173 hrs/yr | $5,369 | 832 |
| 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.
Commute Time Map: Kentucky Counties
- Calloway County (13.9 min)
- Owsley County (15.0 min)
- Taylor County (15.3 min)
- Owen County (37.7 min)
- Spencer County (33.3 min)
- Bracken County (33.2 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 20.7 minutes to get to work in Letcher County. That's 8% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
The most common departure window is 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM, followed by 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 7.6% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Letcher County
- Car: 86.8%
- Worked at Home: 7.6%
- Other: 3.2%
- Walked: 2.4%
- Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Letcher County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Public transit is unusually rare in Letcher County: 10.1 times less than the Kentucky average (0.1% vs 0.6%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Letcher County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Biking is essentially absent in Letcher County, versus 0.2% in Kentucky.
Commute Mode Trends in Letcher County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Letcher 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.
Show commute mode data by year
| Year | Car | Worked at Home | Other | Walked | Public Transportation | Taxi | Motorcycle | Bicycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 94.4% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 3.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 94.4% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 3.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 94.4% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 95.0% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 94.0% | 3.2% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 93.4% | 3.5% | 1.8% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 93.6% | 3.0% | 1.8% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 93.7% | 3.4% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 93.2% | 3.8% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 91.7% | 3.7% | 0.9% | 3.2% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 91.2% | 4.2% | 0.8% | 2.9% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 88.6% | 4.8% | 1.4% | 4.3% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 87.1% | 6.9% | 1.4% | 3.6% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 84.4% | 8.9% | 2.4% | 4.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 87.8% | 7.4% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 86.8% | 7.6% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 0.1% | 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 2012 at 95.0% and lowest in 2022 at 84.4%. Overall it fell from 94.4% in 2009 to 86.8% in 2024, down 7.6 percentage points. It has fallen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Letcher County: its share of workers rose from 1.4% in 2009 to 7.6% in 2024, up 6.2 percentage points.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 3.5% to 2.4% of workers (down 1.1 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2012 release and has stayed ahead since.
Working from home peaked at 8.9% in 2022 and has since fallen back to 7.6%.
Commute Start Times in Letcher County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Letcher County?
The bars show when commuters in Letcher 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 Kentucky for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Letcher County3.4%
Kentucky5.9%
|
3.4% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Letcher County3.7%
Kentucky4.3%
|
3.7% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Letcher County2.7%
Kentucky5.3%
|
2.7% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Letcher County8.9%
Kentucky8.3%
|
8.9% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Letcher County10.8%
Kentucky10.3%
|
10.8% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Letcher County13.4%
Kentucky14.8%
|
13.4% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Letcher County16.5%
Kentucky12.4%
|
16.5% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Letcher County9.5%
Kentucky9.6%
|
9.5% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Letcher County4.9%
Kentucky4.5%
|
4.9% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Letcher County3.0%
Kentucky5.2%
|
3.0% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Letcher County2.5%
Kentucky2.5%
|
2.5% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Letcher County0.2%
Kentucky1.3%
|
0.2% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Letcher County12.3%
Kentucky7.3%
|
12.3% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Letcher County8.2%
Kentucky8.4%
|
8.2% |
Letcher County Kentucky Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Letcher County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 16.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.4% across Kentucky. Early starts are less common than in Kentucky: 9.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.5% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Kentucky: 50.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.1%) 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 Letcher 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 Letcher 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 Letcher County next to Kentucky 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Letcher County | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:35 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:26 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:26 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:32 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:30 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:38 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:46 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:44 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:43 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:43 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:44 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:44 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:46 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:47 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:43 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Letcher County were on the road by 7:43 AM, 8 minutes later than in 2009 (7:35 AM). That goes against the trend across Kentucky, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Letcher County now leave 5 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM).
How does Letcher County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 20.7 min | 20.8 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 7.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | < 0.1% | 0.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Letcher County is about the same as in Kentucky.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Kentucky. 2.4% commute by walking, higher than the 2.0% in Kentucky.
Letcher County, KY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Letcher County, KY is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,808 residents against a local median of 26,635. Letcher County, KY sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is one-way commute, 13% above the local median at 20.7 min against 18.3 min. Letcher County, KY has the 4th lowest one-way commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letcher County, KY | 20,808 | 20.7 min #4/5 | 7.6% #3/5 | 7:43 AM #3/5 |
| Knott County, KY | 13,830 | 21.0 min | 7.6% | 7:46 AM |
| Wise County, VA | 35,431 | 18.4 min | 10.7% | 7:43 AM |
| Perry County, KY | 27,499 | 18.1 min | 8.2% | 7:33 AM |
| Harlan County, KY | 25,771 | 17.3 min | 5.8% | 7:31 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Letcher County, Kentucky.
Is commuting expensive in Letcher County, Kentucky?
Commuters here spend an estimated 172 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $5,345 at a typical national wage.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Letcher County, Kentucky?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Letcher County, Kentucky. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Do people use public transit in Letcher County, Kentucky?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 0.6% in Kentucky, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in Kentucky have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Kentucky, the shortest average commutes are in Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min). The longest are in Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).