Clarke County Commute Time Map & Patterns
HelpCommuting in Clarke County, Virginia: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
Commute Time Burden in Clarke County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Clarke County spend about 56 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 22% more time on the road than the Virginia average of 23.2 minutes each way, a difference of 5.0 minutes.
Clarke County holds about 0.2% of Virginia's population and accounts for roughly 0.2% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Clarke County would save about 94 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,914 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County | 28.2 min | 56.4 min | 235 hrs/yr | $7,285 | 1,728 |
| Virginia | 23.2 min | 46.3 min | 193 hrs/yr | $5,986 | 1,531 |
| 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: Virginia Counties
- Lexington city (10.6 min)
- Covington city (12.2 min)
- Norton city (13.1 min)
- Amelia County (43.7 min)
- Craig County (41.3 min)
- Buckingham County (41.3 min)
Compare commute times among different counties
On average, it takes 28.2 minutes to get to work in Clarke County. That's 26% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Slower than 70% of counties in Virginia
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 21.3% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Clarke County
- Car: 73.9%
- Worked at Home: 21.3%
- Walked: 2.3%
- Other: 1.5%
- Motorcycle: 0.6% unusually high
- Bicycle: 0.2%
- Public Transportation: < 0.1% unusually low
- Taxi: < 0.1% unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is unusually common in Clarke County: 5.3 times more than the Virginia average (0.6% vs 0.1%).
Public transit is unusually rare in Clarke County: 24.3 times less than the Virginia average (0.1% vs 2.3%).
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Clarke County, versus 0.2% in Virginia.
Commute Mode Trends in Clarke County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Clarke 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 | Walked | Other | Motorcycle | Bicycle | Public Transportation | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 91.8% | 4.7% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| 2010 | 92.3% | 4.7% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 93.2% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 93.5% | 3.3% | 2.0% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 92.4% | 4.0% | 3.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 90.1% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 90.0% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 88.0% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 87.8% | 7.4% | 3.9% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 88.6% | 8.0% | 1.9% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 90.4% | 6.8% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 87.8% | 8.5% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 83.6% | 11.8% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 80.8% | 14.5% | 1.9% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 78.3% | 16.9% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 73.9% | 21.3% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Driving was the most common way to get to work in every release from 2009 to 2024. Its share peaked in 2012 at 93.5%. Overall it fell from 91.8% in 2009 to 73.9% in 2024, down 17.9 percentage points. It has fallen in each of the last 5 releases.
Working from home gained the most ground in Clarke County: its share of workers rose from 4.7% in 2009 to 21.3% in 2024, up 16.6 percentage points. Most of that increase, 14.5 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Riding a motorcycle overtook public transit to become the 5th most common choice in the 2023 release and has stayed ahead since.
Walking peaked at 4.6% in 2016 and has since fallen back to 2.3%.
Commute Start Times in Clarke County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Clarke County?
The bars show when commuters in Clarke 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 Virginia for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
| 12:00-4:59 AM |
12:00-4:59 AM
Clarke County6.9%
Virginia5.0%
|
6.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00-5:29 AM |
5:00-5:29 AM
Clarke County5.8%
Virginia4.0%
|
5.8% |
| 5:30-5:59 AM |
5:30-5:59 AM
Clarke County2.7%
Virginia5.0%
|
2.7% |
| 6:00-6:29 AM |
6:00-6:29 AM
Clarke County11.2%
Virginia8.7%
|
11.2% |
| 6:30-6:59 AM |
6:30-6:59 AM
Clarke County12.9%
Virginia9.2%
|
12.9% |
| 7:00-7:29 AM |
7:00-7:29 AM
Clarke County14.5%
Virginia14.2%
|
14.5% |
| 7:30-7:59 AM |
7:30-7:59 AM
Clarke County10.6%
Virginia12.1%
|
10.6% |
| 8:00-8:29 AM |
8:00-8:29 AM
Clarke County12.3%
Virginia12.1%
|
12.3% |
| 8:30-8:59 AM |
8:30-8:59 AM
Clarke County3.5%
Virginia6.4%
|
3.5% |
| 9:00-9:59 AM |
9:00-9:59 AM
Clarke County6.4%
Virginia7.2%
|
6.4% |
| 10:00-10:59 AM |
10:00-10:59 AM
Clarke County4.2%
Virginia3.0%
|
4.2% |
| 11:00-11:59 AM |
11:00-11:59 AM
Clarke County0.6%
Virginia1.4%
|
0.6% |
| 12:00-3:59 PM |
12:00-3:59 PM
Clarke County6.5%
Virginia6.0%
|
6.5% |
| 4:00-11:59 PM |
4:00-11:59 PM
Clarke County2.0%
Virginia5.7%
|
2.0% |
Clarke County Virginia Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Clarke County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 14.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.2% across Virginia. Early starts are more common than in Virginia: 15.4% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 14.0% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in Virginia: 50.3% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 47.5% there. About 1 in 5 commuters (19.6%) 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 Clarke 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County next to Virginia 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 | Clarke County | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7:25 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2010 | 7:23 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2011 | 7:27 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2012 | 7:23 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2013 | 7:22 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2014 | 7:19 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:39 AM |
| 2015 | 7:25 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2016 | 7:24 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2017 | 7:27 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2018 | 7:29 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2019 | 7:30 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2020 | 7:24 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2021 | 7:28 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2022 | 7:17 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:37 AM |
| 2023 | 7:18 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:38 AM |
| 2024 | 7:22 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:38 AM |
In 2024, half of commuters in Clarke County were on the road by 7:22 AM, 3 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:25 AM). That goes against the trend across Virginia, where the typical commuter now leaves 3 minutes later than in 2009. Commuters in Clarke County now leave 16 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 Clarke County has moved 8 minutes earlier.
How does Clarke County's commute time compare?
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. Commute Time | 28.2 min | 23.2 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 | 08:00 AM – 08:29 AM | 07:30 AM – 07:59 AM |
| Work From Home | 21.3% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Walked | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| Public Transit | < 0.1% | 2.3% | 3.2% |
The average commute time in Clarke County is 28.2 minutes, longer than the 23.2 minutes in Virginia.
0.1% commute by public transit, lower than the 2.3% in Virginia. 2.3% commute by walking, higher than the 2.1% in Virginia.
Clarke County, VA Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Clarke County, VA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 15,216 residents against a local median of 77,109. The measure that sets Clarke County, VA apart most is work from home: 21.3%, 73% above the local median of 12.4%.
The counties themselves spread 7.1% on work from home, so Clarke County, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clarke County, VA has the highest work from home of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | One-way commute | Work from home | Typical departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, VA | 15,216 | 28.2 min #3/5 | 21.3% #1/5 | 7:22 AM #4/5 |
| Jefferson County, WV | 59,260 | 32.1 min | 17.3% | 7:15 AM |
| Frederick County, VA | 94,959 | 23.3 min | 12.3% | 7:22 AM |
| Warren County, VA | 41,487 | 33.3 min | 12.4% | 7:19 AM |
| Berkeley County, WV | 129,514 | 23.6 min | 10.3% | 7:12 AM |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about commuting in Clarke County, Virginia.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Clarke County, Virginia?
Commuters here spend an estimated 235 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $7,285 at a typical national wage. That's 22% more than the typical Virginia commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Clarke County, Virginia?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Clarke County, Virginia. 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.
Do people use public transit in Clarke County, Virginia?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.1% of commuters use it versus 2.3% in Virginia, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in Virginia have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in Virginia, the shortest average commutes are in Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min). The longest are in Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).