Commuting in Simpson 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, 5:51 PM
Is the commute in Simpson County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 5:51 PM
Commute Time Burden in Simpson County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Simpson County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 18% less time on the road than the Kentucky average of 20.8 minutes each way, a difference of 3.6 minutes.
Simpson County holds about 0.4% of Kentucky's population and accounts for roughly 0.4% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Simpson County would save about 57 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,771 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)
Simpson County
17.1 min
34.3 min
143 hrs/yr
$4,427
655
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
17.1
minutes to get to work in
Simpson County.
That's 24% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 89% of counties in Kentucky
The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 5.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Simpson County
Car:
92.4%
Worked at Home:
5.3%
Walked:
1.6%
Other:
0.3%
Public Transportation:
0.2%
Bicycle:
< 0.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Simpson County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Simpson County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Commute Mode Trends in Simpson County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Simpson 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
Bicycle
Taxi
Motorcycle
2009
93.7%
3.3%
2.3%
0.4%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
0.2%
2010
92.6%
3.4%
2.2%
1.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.2%
2011
92.9%
3.4%
1.8%
1.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
0.2%
2012
92.9%
3.5%
2.4%
1.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2013
92.0%
3.3%
2.4%
2.1%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.2%
2014
93.5%
1.7%
1.9%
2.6%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
2015
94.0%
1.9%
1.4%
2.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
2016
95.0%
2.0%
1.3%
1.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.1%
2017
94.6%
2.5%
0.6%
2.0%
0.2%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
95.3%
2.5%
0.3%
1.6%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
94.9%
2.9%
0.4%
1.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
94.1%
4.0%
0.6%
1.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
93.8%
4.2%
0.5%
1.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
94.8%
4.0%
0.7%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
92.2%
5.2%
1.6%
0.7%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
92.4%
5.3%
1.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
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 2018 at 95.3% and lowest in 2013 at 92.0%. Overall it fell from 93.7% in 2009 to 92.4% in 2024, down 1.3 percentage points.
Working from home gained the most ground in Simpson County: its share of workers rose from 3.3% in 2009 to 5.3% in 2024, up 2.0 percentage points. Most of that increase, 2.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 2.3% to 1.6% of workers (down 0.7 percentage points).
Commute Start Times in Simpson County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Simpson County?
The bars show when commuters in Simpson 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 AMSimpson County7.6%Kentucky5.9%
7.6%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMSimpson County5.6%Kentucky4.3%
5.6%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMSimpson County8.6%Kentucky5.3%
8.6%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMSimpson County6.7%Kentucky8.3%
6.7%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMSimpson County12.6%Kentucky10.3%
12.6%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMSimpson County18.8%Kentucky14.8%
18.8%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMSimpson County10.0%Kentucky12.4%
10.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMSimpson County6.1%Kentucky9.6%
6.1%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMSimpson County1.9%Kentucky4.5%
1.9%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMSimpson County4.4%Kentucky5.2%
4.4%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMSimpson County0.8%Kentucky2.5%
0.8%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMSimpson County1.7%Kentucky1.3%
1.7%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMSimpson County6.3%Kentucky7.3%
6.3%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMSimpson County8.9%Kentucky8.4%
8.9%
Simpson CountyKentuckySource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Simpson County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 18.8% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.8% across Kentucky. Early starts are more common than in Kentucky: 21.8% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.5% there. The morning rush looks much like Kentucky's: 47.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (22.1%) 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 Simpson 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 Simpson 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 Simpson 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
Simpson County
Kentucky
United States
2009
7:02 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:11 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:20 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:24 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:21 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:27 AM
7:35 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:18 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:14 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:13 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:11 AM
7:34 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:02 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:06 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:07 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:06 AM
7:33 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:12 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:14 AM
7:33 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Simpson County were on the road by 7:14 AM, 12 minutes later than in 2009 (7:02 AM). That goes against the trend across Kentucky, where the typical commuter now leaves 2 minutes earlier than in 2009. Commuters in Simpson County now leave 24 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 Simpson County has moved 12 minutes later.
How does Simpson County's commute time compare?
Metric
Simpson County
Kentucky
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
17.1 min
20.8 min
22.4 min
Departure Window
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
07:00 AM – 07:29 AM
Secondary Departure Window
06:30 AM – 06:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home
5.3%
10.2%
15.0%
Walked
1.6%
2.0%
2.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
0.6%
3.2%
The average commute time in Simpson County is 17.1 minutes, shorter than the 20.8 minutes in Kentucky.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Kentucky. 1.6% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Kentucky.
Simpson County, KY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Simpson County, KY is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 19,972 residents against a local median of 75,539. The measure that sets Simpson County, KY apart most is work from home: 5.3%, 29% below the local median of 7.6%.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 17.1 min against a local median of 23.4 min, 27% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 27% below the local median it puts Simpson County, KY at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 12.3% on work from home, so Simpson County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Simpson County, KY has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Simpson County, Kentucky.
Is commuting expensive in Simpson County, Kentucky?
Commuters here spend an estimated 143 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,427 at a typical national wage. That's 18% less than the typical Kentucky commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Simpson County, Kentucky?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Simpson County, Kentucky. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 06:30 AM – 06:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
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).