Sullivan County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Sullivan County, Tennessee: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Sullivan County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Sullivan County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 158 hours, about 6.6 full days, spent commuting. That is 16% less time on the road than the Tennessee average of 22.4 minutes each way, a difference of 3.5 minutes.
Sullivan County holds about 2.3% of Tennessee's population but accounts for roughly 1.9% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Sullivan County would save about 63 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $1,955 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County | 18.9 min | 37.8 min | 158 hrs/yr | $4,888 | 1,302 |
| 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
- Dyer County (15.9 min)
- Henry County (16.7 min)
- Obion County (17.1 min)
- Cannon County (33.3 min)
- Union County (33.2 min)
- Fayette County (33.1 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 18.9 minutes to get to work in Sullivan County. That's 16% shorter than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Faster than 85% of counties in Tennessee
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 10.6% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Sullivan County
- Car: 86.7%
- Worked at Home: 10.6%
- Other: 1.4%
- Walked: 1.0%
- Public Transportation: 0.2%
- Motorcycle: < 0.1%
- Bicycle: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Taking a taxi is unusually rare in Sullivan County: 13.0 times less than the Tennessee average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Biking is unusually rare in Sullivan County: 3.3 times less than the Tennessee average (0.0% vs 0.1%).
Commute Mode Trends in Sullivan County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Sullivan 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 | 95.3% | 2.8% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 95.4% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 95.6% | 2.6% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 95.4% | 2.9% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 95.3% | 2.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 95.1% | 3.0% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2015 | 95.3% | 2.9% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | 3.0% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 94.0% | 3.5% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 93.7% | 3.6% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 93.3% | 3.8% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | 92.0% | 5.0% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2021 | 90.9% | 6.2% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2022 | 89.4% | 7.7% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 88.4% | 9.1% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 86.7% | 10.6% | 1.4% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 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 2011 at 95.6%. Overall it fell from 95.3% in 2009 to 86.7% in 2024, down 8.6 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 9 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Sullivan County: its share of workers rose from 2.8% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2024, up 7.8 percentage points. Most of that increase, 6.8 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Commute Start Times in Sullivan County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Sullivan County?
The bars show when commuters in Sullivan 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 |
12:00-4:59 AM
Sullivan County4.2%
Tennessee5.8%
|
4.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Sullivan County3.5%
Tennessee4.4%
|
3.5% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Sullivan County6.0%
Tennessee5.5%
|
6.0% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Sullivan County7.3%
Tennessee9.9%
|
7.3% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Sullivan County7.7%
Tennessee10.1%
|
7.7% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Sullivan County14.5%
Tennessee14.7%
|
14.5% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Sullivan County15.3%
Tennessee11.5%
|
15.3% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Sullivan County11.4%
Tennessee10.1%
|
11.4% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Sullivan County5.8%
Tennessee4.5%
|
5.8% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Sullivan County5.1%
Tennessee5.7%
|
5.1% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Sullivan County3.1%
Tennessee2.5%
|
3.1% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Sullivan County1.3%
Tennessee1.2%
|
1.3% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Sullivan County6.8%
Tennessee6.8%
|
6.8% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Sullivan County8.0%
Tennessee7.4%
|
8.0% |
Sullivan County Tennessee Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Sullivan County is 7:30-7:59 AM, when 15.3% of commuters leave home, compared with 11.5% across Tennessee. Early starts are less common than in Tennessee: 13.7% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 15.7% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Tennessee: 48.9% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.4% there. About 1 in 4 commuters (24.3%) 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.
Show typical departure times by year
| Year | Sullivan County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:39 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:39 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:39 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:39 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:38 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:39 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:38 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:38 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:39 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:39 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:38 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:40 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:40 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:41 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:43 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:44 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Sullivan County were on the road by 7:44 AM, 5 minutes later than in 2009 (7:39 AM). Across Tennessee, the typical start barely moved over the same years. Commuters in Sullivan County now leave 6 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 Sullivan County has moved 5 minutes later. The 2024 release is the latest typical start for Sullivan County in the whole series.
How does Sullivan County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 18.9 min | 22.4 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 | 10.6% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 1.0% | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | 0.2% | 0.4% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Sullivan County is 18.9 minutes, shorter than the 22.4 minutes in Tennessee.
0.2% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.4% in Tennessee. 1.0% commute by walking, lower than the 1.2% in Tennessee.
Sullivan County, TN Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Sullivan County, TN is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 160,624 residents against a local median of 55,302. The measure that sets Sullivan County, TN apart most is work from home: 10.6%, 36% above the local median of 7.8%.
The counties themselves spread 6.1% on work from home, so Sullivan County, TN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sullivan County, TN has the 2nd highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, TN | 160,624 | 18.9 min #2/5 | 10.6% #2/5 | 7:44 AM #4/5 |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | 21.8 min | 7.2% | 7:28 AM |
| Washington County, TN | 136,261 | 18.4 min | 11.9% | 7:45 AM |
| Scott County, VA | 21,488 | 27.6 min | 5.8% | 7:18 AM |
| Washington County, VA | 53,901 | 20.7 min | 8.5% | 7:37 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Is living in Sullivan County, Tennessee good for avoiding long commute costs?
Commuters here spend an estimated 158 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $4,888 at a typical national wage. That's 16% less than the typical Tennessee commuter spends.
When is peak congestion during the morning commute in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
Traffic peaks between 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM in Sullivan County, Tennessee. 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among 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).