Commuting in Clay County, West Virginia: how long it takes, when people leave home and how they get to work. Ask Map AI about any address.
You9/24/26, 8:10 PM
How many minutes is the average drive to work in Clay County?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:10 PM
Commute Time Burden in Clay County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Clay County spend about 64 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 268 hours, about 11.2 full days, spent commuting. That is 49% more time on the road than the West Virginia average of 21.6 minutes each way, a difference of 10.6 minutes.
Clay County holds about 0.4% of West Virginia's population but accounts for roughly 0.7% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Clay County would save about 107 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $3,323 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)
Clay County
32.2 min
64.3 min
268 hrs/yr
$8,308
319
West Virginia
21.6 min
43.2 min
180 hrs/yr
$5,581
1,052
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
32.2
minutes to get to work in
Clay County.
That's 43% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
Among the 5 slowest counties in West 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 7.4% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Clay County
Car:
91.3%
Worked at Home:
7.4%
Walked:
1.1%
Other:
0.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Clay County, versus 0.0% in West Virginia.
Public transit is essentially absent in Clay County, versus 0.5% in West Virginia.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Clay County, versus 0.1% in West Virginia.
Biking is essentially absent in Clay County, versus 0.2% in West Virginia.
Commute Mode Trends in Clay County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Clay 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
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
2009
93.3%
1.7%
4.0%
0.5%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2010
94.8%
2.4%
2.1%
0.3%
0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2011
93.0%
3.8%
1.5%
1.4%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2012
94.5%
2.5%
1.6%
1.1%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2013
94.3%
2.3%
1.0%
2.1%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2014
94.0%
1.9%
1.5%
2.3%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
91.9%
3.0%
2.1%
3.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2016
95.7%
2.4%
1.2%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2017
94.0%
3.3%
1.3%
0.6%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2018
95.4%
2.3%
1.1%
0.4%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2019
95.8%
2.0%
0.9%
0.4%
0.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2020
96.3%
0.9%
1.8%
0.4%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2021
96.5%
1.5%
0.4%
0.6%
1.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2022
96.4%
2.3%
1.2%
0.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2023
90.7%
7.6%
1.4%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
91.3%
7.4%
1.1%
0.1%
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 was highest in 2021 at 96.5% and lowest in 2023 at 90.7%. Overall it fell from 93.3% in 2009 to 91.3% in 2024, down 2.0 percentage points. It has risen in the latest release.
Working from home gained the most ground in Clay County: its share of workers rose from 1.7% in 2009 to 7.4% in 2024, up 5.7 percentage points. Most of that increase, 5.4 points, came in the releases after 2019, which include the pandemic years.
Walking lost the most ground, falling from 4.0% to 1.1% of workers (down 2.9 percentage points).
Working from home overtook walking to become the 2nd most common choice in the 2021 release and has stayed ahead since.
Commute Start Times in Clay County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Clay County?
The bars show when commuters in Clay 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 West Virginia for comparison. Hover over or tap a row for the exact numbers.
12:00-4:59 AM
12:00-4:59 AMClay County9.9%West Virginia6.3%
9.9%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMClay County6.2%West Virginia4.4%
6.2%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMClay County10.2%West Virginia5.6%
10.2%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMClay County6.1%West Virginia10.2%
6.1%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMClay County16.3%West Virginia10.4%
16.3%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMClay County19.5%West Virginia14.4%
19.5%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMClay County12.8%West Virginia11.9%
12.8%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMClay County5.0%West Virginia9.7%
5.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMClay County0.8%West Virginia4.5%
0.8%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMClay County0.2%West Virginia4.7%
0.2%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMClay County0.0%West Virginia2.7%
0.0%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMClay County0.8%West Virginia1.2%
0.8%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMClay County8.1%West Virginia7.0%
8.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMClay County4.0%West Virginia7.1%
4.0%
Clay CountyWest VirginiaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Clay County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 19.5% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.4% across West Virginia. Early starts are more common than in West Virginia: 26.3% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 16.3% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in West Virginia: 53.6% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.4% there. About 1 in 8 commuters (13.2%) 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 Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay County next to West 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.
Median time commuters leave home, by ACS 5-year release year. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.Show typical departure times by year
Year
Clay County
West Virginia
United States
2009
7:14 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:18 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:17 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:10 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:11 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:14 AM
7:32 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:07 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:01 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:02 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2018
6:56 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2019
6:53 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2020
6:51 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2021
6:57 AM
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:06 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:03 AM
7:28 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:02 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Clay County were on the road by 7:02 AM, 12 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:14 AM). The shift is sharper than across West Virginia, where the typical start moved 8 minutes earlier. Commuters in Clay County now leave 36 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 Clay County has moved 9 minutes later.
How does Clay County's commute time compare?
Metric
Clay County
West Virginia
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
32.2 min
21.6 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
7.4%
9.1%
15.0%
Walked
1.1%
2.5%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Clay County is 32.2 minutes, longer than the 21.6 minutes in West Virginia.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.5% in West Virginia. 1.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.5% in West Virginia.
Clay County, WV Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Clay County, WV is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 7,835 residents against a local median of 13,786. Clay County, WV's one-way commute, at 32.2 min, runs 26% above the 25.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Work from home tells the same story from another angle: 7.4% against a local median of 6.1%, 21% above it. The counties themselves spread 10.1 min on one-way commute, so Clay County, WV sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clay County, WV has the 6th lowest one-way commute of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Clay County, West Virginia.
Is commuting expensive in Clay County, West Virginia?
Commuters here spend an estimated 268 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $8,308 at a typical national wage. That's 49% more than the typical West Virginia commuter spends.
What time should you leave for work to avoid traffic in Clay County, West Virginia?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Clay County, West 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.
How common is public transit use in Clay County, West Virginia?
Public transit usage is significantly lower here than typical: about 0.0% of commuters use it versus 0.5% in West Virginia, meaning a personal vehicle is essential for most workers.
Which counties in West Virginia have the fastest and slowest commutes?
Among counties in West Virginia, the shortest average commutes are in Randolph County (16.4 min), Ohio County (17.0 min), Pocahontas County (17.2 min). The longest are in Hampshire County (40.3 min), Morgan County (35.8 min), Monroe County (33.7 min).