Wolfe County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Wolfe 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 Wolfe County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Wolfe County spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 235 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 36% more time on the road than the Kentucky average of 20.8 minutes each way, a difference of 7.5 minutes.
Wolfe County holds about 0.1% of Kentucky's population but accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Wolfe County would save about 94 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,920 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfe County | 28.3 min | 56.5 min | 235 hrs/yr | $7,299 | 280 |
| 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 28.3 minutes to get to work in Wolfe County. That's 26% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 85% of counties in Kentucky
The most common departure window is 05:00 AM – 05:29 AM, followed by 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 6.2% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Wolfe County
- Car: 91.4%
- Worked at Home: 6.2%
- Other: 1.9%
- Public Transportation: 0.4%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Walked: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Wolfe County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Walking is essentially absent in Wolfe County, versus 2.0% in Kentucky.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Wolfe County, versus 0.1% in Kentucky.
Biking is essentially absent in Wolfe County, versus 0.2% in Kentucky.
Walking or biking to work is essentially absent in Wolfe County, versus 2.2% in Kentucky.
Commute Mode Trends in Wolfe County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Wolfe 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 | Public Transportation | Taxi | Motorcycle | Bicycle | Walked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 87.6% | 2.7% | 0.6% | 7.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| 2010 | 90.5% | 2.3% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2011 | 91.2% | 2.8% | 0.6% | 5.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 94.7% | 3.0% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2013 | 96.8% | 2.0% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2014 | 95.2% | 4.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2015 | 93.8% | 5.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | 4.3% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| 2017 | 94.1% | 3.5% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 2018 | 93.2% | 4.0% | 2.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| 2019 | 97.5% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| 2020 | 97.5% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 98.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 91.8% | 8.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2023 | 90.1% | 7.7% | 1.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 91.4% | 6.2% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 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 peaked in 2021 at 98.0%. Overall it rose from 87.6% in 2009 to 91.4% in 2024, up 3.8 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Wolfe County: its share of workers rose from 2.7% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2024, up 3.5 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.7 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 7.8% to 0.4% of workers (down 7.4 percentage points).
Working from home overtook public transit to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2012 release and has stayed ahead since.
Working from home peaked at 8.1% in 2022 and has since fallen back to 6.2%.
Commute Start Times in Wolfe County
- 🌅 Dawn PatrolThe highest share of pre-6 AM departures among Kentucky's 120 counties: 35.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM.
- 🧘 Rush-Hour DodgersThe lowest share of rush-hour departures among Kentucky's 120 counties: only 31.5% of commuters leave between 6:30 and 8:29 AM.
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Wolfe County?
The bars show when commuters in Wolfe 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
Wolfe County9.7%
Kentucky5.9%
|
9.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Wolfe County20.5%
Kentucky4.3%
|
20.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Wolfe County5.0%
Kentucky5.3%
|
5.0% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Wolfe County6.6%
Kentucky8.3%
|
6.6% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Wolfe County4.4%
Kentucky10.3%
|
4.4% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Wolfe County9.0%
Kentucky14.8%
|
9.0% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Wolfe County8.9%
Kentucky12.4%
|
8.9% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Wolfe County9.2%
Kentucky9.6%
|
9.2% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Wolfe County0.0%
Kentucky4.5%
|
0.0% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Wolfe County13.6%
Kentucky5.2%
|
13.6% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Wolfe County7.0%
Kentucky2.5%
|
7.0% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Wolfe County0.0%
Kentucky1.3%
|
0.0% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Wolfe County3.1%
Kentucky7.3%
|
3.1% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Wolfe County3.1%
Kentucky8.4%
|
3.1% |
Wolfe County Kentucky Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Wolfe County is 5:00-5:29 AM, when 20.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 4.3% across Kentucky. Early starts are more common than in Kentucky: 35.1% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.5% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Kentucky: 31.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.1% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (26.8%) 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe 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 | Wolfe County | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:31 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:24 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:27 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:28 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:34 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:32 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:38 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:39 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:29 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:19 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:23 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:19 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:09 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:13 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Wolfe County were on the road by 7:13 AM, 15 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:28 AM). The shift is sharper than across Kentucky, where the typical start moved 2 minutes earlier. Commuters in Wolfe County now leave 25 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 Wolfe County has moved 17 minutes earlier.
How does Wolfe County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Wolfe County | Kentucky | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 28.3 min | 20.8 min | 22.4 min |
| Departure Window | 05:00 AM – 05:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM | 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM |
| Secondary Departure Window | 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 6.2% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Walked | < 0.1% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 0.4% | 0.6% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Wolfe County is 28.3 minutes, longer than the 20.8 minutes in Kentucky.
0.4% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.6% in Kentucky. 0.0% commute by walking, lower than the 2.0% in Kentucky.
Wolfe County, KY Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Wolfe County, KY is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 6,443 residents against a local median of 13,038. Where Wolfe County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is one-way commute, sitting 23% above the local median of 23.0 min at 28.3 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.4 min on one-way commute, so Wolfe County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wolfe County, KY has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfe County, KY | 6,443 | 28.3 min #6/6 | 6.2% #5/6 | 7:13 AM #3/6 |
| Menifee County, KY | 6,230 | 23.8 min | 8.6% | 7:19 AM |
| Lee County, KY | 7,339 | 23.6 min | 7.3% | 7:15 AM |
| Breathitt County, KY | 13,276 | 18.3 min | 7.0% | 7:24 AM |
| Morgan County, KY | 14,053 | 20.7 min | 6.4% | 7:12 AM |
| Powell County, KY | 13,038 | 23.0 min | 4.0% | 7:13 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Wolfe County, Kentucky.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Wolfe County, Kentucky?
Commuters here spend an estimated 235 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,299 at a typical national wage. That's 36% more than the typical Kentucky commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Wolfe County, Kentucky?
Traffic peaks between 05:00 AM – 05:29 AM in Wolfe County, Kentucky. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 09:00 AM – 09:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among 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).