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Macon County Commute Time Map & Patterns

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Commuting in Macon County, Tennessee: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.

You 9/24/26, 4:20 PM
Is the commute in Macon County longer than the national average?
Map AI 9/24/26, 4:20 PM

Commute Time Burden in Macon County: Annual Hours and Cost

Commuters in Macon County spend about 63 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 264 hours, about 11.0 full days, spent commuting. That is 41% more time on the road than the Tennessee average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 9.3 minutes.

Macon County holds about 0.4% of Tennessee's population but accounts for roughly 0.5% of its total commuting time.

Working from home just 2 days a week in Macon County would save about 106 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,271 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)
Macon County 31.7 min 63.3 min 264 hrs/yr $8,179 458
Tennessee 22.4 min 44.8 min 187 hrs/yr $5,785 1,225
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: Tennessee Counties

Fastest commutes among counties in Tennessee
  1. Dyer County (15.9 min)
  2. Henry County (16.7 min)
  3. Obion County (17.1 min)
Slowest commutes among counties in Tennessee
  1. Cannon County (33.3 min)
  2. Union County (33.2 min)
  3. Fayette County (33.1 min)

Compare commute times among different counties

Macon County
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Average commute time

On average, it takes 31.7 minutes to get to work in Macon County. That's 41% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.

Slower than 86% of counties in Tennessee

The most common departure window is 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM, followed by 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM. Driving is the most common commute choice, followed by working from home. About 5.7% work from home.

How People Get to Work in Macon County

  • Car: 92.2%
  • Worked at Home: 5.7%
  • Other: 1.3%
  • Walked: 0.8%
  • 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 Macon County, versus 0.0% in Tennessee.

Public transit is unusually rare in Macon County: 6.3 times less than the Tennessee average (0.1% vs 0.4%).

Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Macon County, versus 0.1% in Tennessee.

Biking is essentially absent in Macon County, versus 0.1% in Tennessee.

Commute Mode Trends in Macon County, 2009-2024

This chart shows how workers in Macon 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 94.2% 3.4% 0.8% 1.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.5% 0.0%
2010 94.0% 2.9% 0.8% 1.4% 0.4% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0%
2011 94.6% 3.1% 0.1% 1.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0%
2012 95.5% 2.0% 0.2% 1.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.7% 0.0%
2013 96.5% 1.8% 0.3% 0.8% 0.3% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2014 96.6% 1.5% 0.5% 0.8% 0.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2015 96.6% 1.9% 0.6% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2016 97.5% 1.8% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
2017 97.2% 2.1% 0.3% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2018 96.4% 2.6% 0.5% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
2019 95.0% 3.2% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2020 94.8% 3.1% 1.4% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2021 95.0% 3.0% 1.5% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0%
2022 93.9% 3.7% 1.7% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2023 92.1% 4.5% 2.2% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0%
2024 92.2% 5.7% 1.3% 0.8% 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 2016 at 97.5% and lowest in 2023 at 92.1%. Overall it fell from 94.2% in 2009 to 92.2% in 2024, down 2.0 percentage points.

Working from home gained the most ground in Macon County: its share of workers rose from 3.4% in 2009 to 5.7% in 2024, up 2.3 percentage points. Most of that increase, 2.5 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.

Riding a motorcycle lost the most ground, falling from 0.5% to 0.0% of workers (down 0.5 percentage points).

Commute Start Times in Macon County

  • Dawn PatrolThe highest share of pre-6 AM departures among Tennessee's 95 counties: 34.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM.
  • Early BirdThe 3rd-earliest start among Tennessee's 95 counties: half of commuters are on the road by 6:45 AM.

What Time Do People Leave for Work in Macon County?

The bars show when commuters in Macon 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 Tennessee for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.

12:00-4:59 AM
12.4%
5:00-5:29 AM
10.9%
5:30-5:59 AM
11.1%
6:00-6:29 AM
11.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
9.5%
7:00-7:29 AM
17.3%
7:30-7:59 AM
7.0%
8:00-8:29 AM
2.6%
8:30-8:59 AM
1.5%
9:00-9:59 AM
2.0%
10:00-10:59 AM
2.7%
11:00-11:59 AM
0.4%
12:00-3:59 PM
7.6%
4:00-11:59 PM
4.2%

Macon County Tennessee Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates

The busiest time to head out in Macon County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 17.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.7% across Tennessee. Early starts are more common than in Tennessee: 34.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.7% there. The morning rush is more spread out than in Tennessee: 36.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.4% there. About 1 in 6 commuters (16.8%) 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 Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon County next to Tennessee 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 Macon County Tennessee United States
2009 7:03 AM 7:30 AM 7:37 AM
2010 7:00 AM 7:30 AM 7:38 AM
2011 6:59 AM 7:30 AM 7:38 AM
2012 6:56 AM 7:30 AM 7:38 AM
2013 6:58 AM 7:30 AM 7:39 AM
2014 6:59 AM 7:30 AM 7:39 AM
2015 7:01 AM 7:30 AM 7:38 AM
2016 7:01 AM 7:30 AM 7:38 AM
2017 7:01 AM 7:29 AM 7:38 AM
2018 7:00 AM 7:29 AM 7:37 AM
2019 7:00 AM 7:28 AM 7:37 AM
2020 6:49 AM 7:29 AM 7:37 AM
2021 6:48 AM 7:29 AM 7:37 AM
2022 6:55 AM 7:29 AM 7:37 AM
2023 6:48 AM 7:29 AM 7:38 AM
2024 6:45 AM 7:29 AM 7:38 AM

In 2024, half of commuters in Macon County were on the road by 6:45 AM, 18 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:03 AM). Across Tennessee, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Macon County now leave 53 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 Macon County has moved 16 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Macon County in the whole series.

How does Macon County's commute time compare?

Metric Macon County Tennessee US Average
Avg. Commute Time 31.7 min 22.4 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 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM
Work From Home 5.7% 12.9% 15.0%
Walked 0.8% 1.2% 2.4%
Public Transit < 0.1% 0.4% 3.2%

The average commute time in Macon County is 31.7 minutes, longer than the 22.4 minutes in Tennessee.

0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.4% in Tennessee. 0.8% commute by walking, lower than the 1.2% in Tennessee.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Macon County, TN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties

Macon County, TN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 26,240 residents against a local median of 12,029. Macon County, TN 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, 15% above the local median at 31.7 min against 27.6 min. Macon County, TN has the 5th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.

Area Population One-way commute Work from home Typical departure
Macon County, TN 26,240 31.7 min #5/6 5.7% #5/6 6:45 AM #1/6
Trousdale County, TN 11,957 32.4 min 5.7% 6:54 AM
Allen County, KY 21,293 23.4 min 5.7% 6:52 AM
Smith County, TN 20,389 27.6 min 8.2% 7:05 AM
Monroe County, KY 11,269 17.0 min 4.5% 7:01 AM
Jackson County, TN 12,029 30.8 min 9.8% 7:14 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about commuting in Macon County, Tennessee.

What is the financial impact of commuting in Macon County, Tennessee?

Commuters here spend an estimated 264 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $8,179 at a typical national wage. That's 41% more than the typical Tennessee commuter spends.

What are the busiest morning travel hours in Macon County, Tennessee?

Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Macon County, Tennessee. Leaving before or after this window is the single easiest way to avoid the heaviest local congestion, though 12:00 AM – 04:59 AM also sees a secondary bump.

Is public transportation a realistic commute option in Macon County, Tennessee?

Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 0.4% in Tennessee, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.

How do commute times compare across counties in Tennessee?

Among counties in Tennessee, the shortest average commutes are in Dyer County (15.9 min), Henry County (16.7 min), Obion County (17.1 min). The longest are in Cannon County (33.3 min), Union County (33.2 min), Fayette County (33.1 min).