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Your commute is longer than it was a decade ago, even as more Kentuckians work from home

It takes a worker in Kentucky about three minutes less to travel to work compared to the national average, according to the most recent five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The average worker in Kentucky travels 23.7 minutes to work every day, which means the worker spends a little more than 47 minutes in the car driving to and from work every day, or almost four hours during a typical five-day workweek.

According to the Census survey estimates that take data from 2016 to 2021, there are about 1.9 million workers in Kentucky older than 16 years of age, with almost 132,000 of those working from home. Almost 1.6 million workers drove alone to work, while nearly 178,000 carpooled and just about 17,000 used public transportation. About 41,000 walked and almost 25,000 used other means.

Five-year estimates from the decade before, from 2006 to 2011, report the average commute was a minute shorter, and almost 77,000 fewer people reported working from home.

In comparison, the average U.S. worker spends 53.6 minutes commuting every day, which equals almost four and a half hours during a five-day work week. Out of about 155 million workers in the country, about 15 million reported working from home.

The commute in Fayette County

In Fayette County, it takes 20.7 minutes to commute to work on average, which is about six minutes less than the national average and three minutes less than the state average.

This means the average worker in Fayette County spends about 41 minutes every day in their vehicle and almost three and a half hours per week behind the wheel.

The survey reports out of the roughly 165,000 workers in the county, about 13,000 reported working from home. Almost 127,000 workers drove alone to work in their vehicle and 2,780 used public transportation. Another roughly 13,000 carpooled, about 5,700 walked and 2,669 reported they used other means to get to work.

The five-year estimates from 10 years ago show the average commute was a minute shorter, at 19.7 minutes, and almost 8,000 fewer people reported working remotely.

Tips for a safe and productive commute

Your time spent behind the wheel adds up, so it’s important to make sure you’re staying safe while driving to and from work each day.

You should make sure to leave enough time to account for traffic on your commute, always wear a seatbelt, follow the speed limit and don’t text while driving.

Indeed.com recommends listening to music or a podcast to wake you up, making a mental checklist to prepare for your work day ahead or catching up on phone calls using hands-free technology if you’re behind the wheel. However, it’s important to not participate in any activities that could distract you from the road.

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