Commuting in Owsley County, Kentucky: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 3:30 PM
How much time do drivers in Owsley County spend on the road daily?
Map AI9/24/26, 3:30 PM
Commute Time Burden in Owsley County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Owsley County spend about 30 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 125 hours, about 5.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 28% less time on the road than the Kentucky average of 20.8 minutes each way, a difference of 5.8 minutes.
Owsley County holds about 0.1% of Kentucky's population and accounts for roughly 0.1% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Owsley County would save about 50 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,553 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)
Owsley County
15.0 min
30.1 min
125 hrs/yr
$3,883
197
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.
On average, it takes
15.0
minutes to get to work in
Owsley County.
That's 33% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the top 3 fastest counties in Kentucky
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 9.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Owsley County
Car:
85.3%
Worked at Home:
9.1%
Other:
2.9%
Walked:
2.6%
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 Owsley County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Public transit is essentially absent in Owsley County, versus 0.6% in Kentucky.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Owsley County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Biking is essentially absent in Owsley County, versus 0.2% in Kentucky.
Commute Mode Trends in Owsley County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Owsley 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
Other
Walked
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
2009
88.0%
5.6%
0.0%
6.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
85.5%
8.8%
0.0%
5.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
84.7%
7.1%
0.0%
8.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2012
86.3%
5.9%
0.0%
7.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2013
92.6%
4.7%
0.0%
2.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2014
90.9%
4.8%
3.4%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
91.7%
3.1%
3.4%
1.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
94.9%
1.7%
3.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
94.4%
1.2%
3.8%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
92.8%
1.4%
4.0%
1.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
93.8%
3.3%
0.9%
1.6%
0.0%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
92.6%
2.8%
2.1%
2.1%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
88.5%
4.5%
3.5%
2.9%
0.0%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
89.7%
4.1%
3.5%
2.0%
0.0%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
86.4%
8.7%
2.1%
2.0%
0.0%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
85.3%
9.1%
2.9%
2.6%
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 2016 at 94.9% and lowest in 2011 at 84.7%. Overall it fell from 88.0% in 2009 to 85.3% in 2024, down 2.7 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 2 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Owsley County: its share of workers rose from 5.6% in 2009 to 9.1% in 2024, up 3.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 6.4% to 2.6% of workers (down 3.8 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2019 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Owsley County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Owsley County?
The bars show when commuters in Owsley 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 AMOwsley County7.9%Kentucky5.9%
7.9%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMOwsley County1.2%Kentucky4.3%
1.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMOwsley County2.1%Kentucky5.3%
2.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMOwsley County8.4%Kentucky8.3%
8.4%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMOwsley County6.1%Kentucky10.3%
6.1%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMOwsley County16.1%Kentucky14.8%
16.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMOwsley County16.3%Kentucky12.4%
16.3%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMOwsley County10.3%Kentucky9.6%
10.3%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMOwsley County2.3%Kentucky4.5%
2.3%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMOwsley County8.8%Kentucky5.2%
8.8%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMOwsley County0.0%Kentucky2.5%
0.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMOwsley County4.6%Kentucky1.3%
4.6%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMOwsley County7.8%Kentucky7.3%
7.8%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMOwsley County7.9%Kentucky8.4%
7.9%
Owsley CountyKentuckySource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Owsley County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 16.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 12.4% across Kentucky. Early starts are less common than in Kentucky: 11.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.5% there. The morning rush looks much like Kentucky's: 48.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 3 commuters (29.1%) 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 Owsley 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 Owsley 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 Owsley 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.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
Owsley County
Kentucky
United States
2009
7:36 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:46 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:37 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:35 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:44 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:46 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:47 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:49 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:52 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:45 AM
7:34 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:47 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:43 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:38 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:29 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:41 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:45 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Owsley County were on the road by 7:45 AM, 9 minutes later than in 2009 (7:36 AM). That goes against the trend across Kentucky, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Owsley County now leave 7 minutes later than the typical American commuter (7:38 AM). Since the 2019 release, which covers the years just before the pandemic, the typical start in Owsley County has moved 2 minutes earlier.
How does Owsley County's commute time compare?
Metric
Owsley County
Kentucky
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
15.0 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
9.1%
10.2%
15.0%
Walked
2.6%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Owsley County is 15.0 minutes, shorter than the 20.8 minutes in Kentucky.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Kentucky. 2.6% commute by walking, higher than the 2.0% in Kentucky.
Owsley County, KY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Owsley County, KY is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 3,971 residents against a local median of 13,086. Where Owsley County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is one-way commute, sitting 36% below the local median of 23.6 min at 15.0 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 9.1% against a local median of 7.3%, 24% above it. The counties themselves spread 13.9 min on one-way commute, so Owsley County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Owsley County, KY has the lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Owsley County, Kentucky.
Is commuting expensive in Owsley County, Kentucky?
Commuters here spend an estimated 125 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $3,883 at a typical national wage. That's 28% less than the typical Kentucky commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Owsley County, Kentucky?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Owsley 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.
Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Owsley County, Kentucky?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.6% in Kentucky, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
How do commute times compare across counties in Kentucky?
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).