Commuting in Roane 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, 8:18 PM
Is the commute in Roane County longer than the national average?
Map AI9/24/26, 8:18 PM
Commute Time Burden in Roane County: Annual Hours and Cost
Commuters in Roane County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 212 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting. That is 18% more time on the road than the West Virginia average of 21.6 minutes each way, a difference of 3.8 minutes.
Roane County holds about 0.8% of West Virginia's population but accounts for roughly 0.9% of its total commuting time.
Working from home just 2 days a week in Roane County would save about 85 hours of drive time a year, worth roughly $2,629 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)
Roane County
25.4 min
50.9 min
212 hrs/yr
$6,573
434
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
25.4
minutes to get to work in
Roane County.
That's 14% longer than the 22.4-minute U.S. average.
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 6.1% work from home.
How People Get to Work in Roane County
Car:
91.8%
Worked at Home:
6.1%
Walked:
2.1%
Motorcycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Public Transportation:
< 0.1%unusually low
Taxi:
< 0.1%unusually low
Bicycle:
< 0.1%unusually low
Other:
< 0.1%
Riding a motorcycle is essentially absent in Roane County, versus 0.0% in West Virginia.
Public transit is essentially absent in Roane County, versus 0.5% in West Virginia.
Taking a taxi is essentially absent in Roane County, versus 0.1% in West Virginia.
Biking is essentially absent in Roane County, versus 0.2% in West Virginia.
Commute Mode Trends in Roane County, 2009-2024
This chart shows how workers in Roane 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
Public Transportation
Taxi
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Other
2009
89.8%
5.7%
1.4%
1.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
1.4%
2010
92.3%
5.4%
0.8%
1.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
0.2%
2011
93.3%
5.1%
0.6%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
0.2%
2012
93.0%
5.6%
1.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
0.0%
2013
92.8%
4.8%
1.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
1.0%
2014
93.7%
3.3%
1.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
1.1%
2015
93.6%
3.8%
1.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
0.9%
2016
91.7%
5.3%
1.5%
0.0%
0.0%
0.4%
0.0%
1.2%
2017
92.5%
3.8%
1.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
1.4%
2018
91.2%
5.5%
2.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.0%
0.8%
2019
89.0%
8.1%
2.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.9%
2020
88.4%
8.9%
2.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.6%
2021
89.0%
8.6%
2.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
2022
88.0%
10.3%
1.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.1%
2023
89.8%
7.9%
2.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2024
91.8%
6.1%
2.1%
0.0%
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 2014 at 93.7% and lowest in 2022 at 88.0%. Overall it rose from 89.8% in 2009 to 91.8% in 2024, up 2.0 percentage points. It has risen in each of the last 2 releases.
Walking gained the most ground in Roane County: its share of workers rose from 1.4% in 2009 to 2.1% in 2024, up 0.7 percentage points.
Public transit lost the most ground, falling from 1.6% to 0.0% of workers (down 1.6 percentage points).
Walking overtook public transit to become the 3rd most common choice in the 2012 release and has stayed ahead since.
Working from home peaked at 10.3% in 2022 and has since fallen back to 6.1%.
Commute Start Times in Roane County
What Time Do People Leave for Work in Roane County?
The bars show when commuters in Roane 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 AMRoane County2.2%West Virginia6.3%
2.2%
5:00-5:29 AM
5:00-5:29 AMRoane County6.5%West Virginia4.4%
6.5%
5:30-5:59 AM
5:30-5:59 AMRoane County8.3%West Virginia5.6%
8.3%
6:00-6:29 AM
6:00-6:29 AMRoane County14.0%West Virginia10.2%
14.0%
6:30-6:59 AM
6:30-6:59 AMRoane County14.2%West Virginia10.4%
14.2%
7:00-7:29 AM
7:00-7:29 AMRoane County18.1%West Virginia14.4%
18.1%
7:30-7:59 AM
7:30-7:59 AMRoane County6.2%West Virginia11.9%
6.2%
8:00-8:29 AM
8:00-8:29 AMRoane County11.0%West Virginia9.7%
11.0%
8:30-8:59 AM
8:30-8:59 AMRoane County5.3%West Virginia4.5%
5.3%
9:00-9:59 AM
9:00-9:59 AMRoane County6.3%West Virginia4.7%
6.3%
10:00-10:59 AM
10:00-10:59 AMRoane County0.4%West Virginia2.7%
0.4%
11:00-11:59 AM
11:00-11:59 AMRoane County0.0%West Virginia1.2%
0.0%
12:00-3:59 PM
12:00-3:59 PMRoane County5.1%West Virginia7.0%
5.1%
4:00-11:59 PM
4:00-11:59 PMRoane County2.4%West Virginia7.1%
2.4%
Roane CountyWest VirginiaSource: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates
The busiest time to head out in Roane County is 7:00-7:29 AM, when 18.1% of commuters leave home, compared with 14.4% across West Virginia. Early starts are about as common as in West Virginia: 17.0% of commuters leave before 6 AM, versus 16.3% there. The morning rush is more concentrated than in West Virginia: 49.5% of departures fall in the two hours from 6:30 to 8:29 AM, versus 46.4% there. About 1 in 7 commuters (14.2%) 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 Roane 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 Roane 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 Roane 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
Roane County
West Virginia
United States
2009
7:15 AM
7:35 AM
7:37 AM
2010
7:16 AM
7:35 AM
7:38 AM
2011
7:13 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2012
7:13 AM
7:34 AM
7:38 AM
2013
7:12 AM
7:33 AM
7:39 AM
2014
7:17 AM
7:32 AM
7:39 AM
2015
7:16 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2016
7:22 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2017
7:18 AM
7:32 AM
7:38 AM
2018
7:27 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2019
7:24 AM
7:31 AM
7:37 AM
2020
7:27 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2021
7:17 AM
7:28 AM
7:37 AM
2022
7:18 AM
7:29 AM
7:37 AM
2023
7:10 AM
7:28 AM
7:38 AM
2024
7:08 AM
7:27 AM
7:38 AM
In 2024, half of commuters in Roane County were on the road by 7:08 AM, 7 minutes earlier than in 2009 (7:15 AM). West Virginia followed the same path, with the typical start moving 8 minutes earlier. Commuters in Roane County now leave 30 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 Roane County has moved 16 minutes earlier. The 2024 release is the earliest typical start for Roane County in the whole series.
How does Roane County's commute time compare?
Metric
Roane County
West Virginia
US Average
Avg. Commute Time
25.4 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
6.1%
9.1%
15.0%
Walked
2.1%
2.5%
2.4%
Public Transit
< 0.1%
0.5%
3.2%
The average commute time in Roane County is 25.4 minutes, longer than the 21.6 minutes in West Virginia.
0.0% commute by public transit, lower than the 0.5% in West Virginia. 2.1% commute by walking, lower than the 2.5% in West Virginia.
Roane County, WV Commute Compared With Nearby Counties
Roane County, WV is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 13,786 residents against a local median of 7,835. Roane County, WV's work from home, at 6.1%, runs 36% below the 9.6% typical of the counties around it.
One-way commute tells the same story from another angle: 25.4 min against a local median of 31.7 min, 20% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is one-way commute, and at 20% below the local median it puts Roane County, WV at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread 9.7% on work from home, so Roane County, WV sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Roane County, WV has the 5th highest work from home of the 6 areas compared here.
Common questions about commuting in Roane County, West Virginia.
How much does the average commute cost workers in Roane County, West Virginia?
Commuters here spend an estimated 212 hours a year on the road, worth roughly $6,573 at a typical national wage. That's 18% more than the typical West Virginia commuter spends.
When is rush hour worst in Roane County, West Virginia?
Traffic peaks between 07:00 AM – 07:29 AM in Roane 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.
Do people use public transit in Roane 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.
Where are the quickest and slowest commutes among counties in West Virginia?
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).