Extreme Commuting

Residents of South King County are more likely to have very long commutes than residents in other regions of King County.

Extreme commuting is considered traveling to work for more than 90 minutes in one direction. Development, displacement, poverty, and public transit access can have impacts on commuting. 

Between 2019-2023, 1.9% of King County residents traveled to or from work for 90 minutes or more.     

• Race and ethnicity: Black (3.2%) commuters were more likely   than other groups to have a commute of 90 minutes or longer. White (1.8%) and Asian commuters (1.4%) were less likely to have a commute of 90 minutes or longer. People of color are more likely to commute to and from work via public transportation which can increase travel time.     

• Disability: People with a disability (3.2%) were more likely to have a commute that takes 90 minutes or longer one way than those living without disabilities (1.8%).     

• Region/City/Neighborhood: Residents of South King County (2.8%) were more likely to have commutes exceeding 90 minutes than residents of other regions in the county. Among cities and neighborhoods, Vashon Island had the highest proportion of residents with very long commutes (13.2%), likely due to a large number of residents commuting by ferry and water taxi. Maple Valley (5.6%), Enumclaw/Black Diamond/Southeast King County (4.4%) and Federal Way – North Corridor (4.3%), had the next highest rates of extreme commuting.  

• Trends over time: In Seattle, the rate of extreme commuting in Seattle has declined from 1.8% in 2021 to 0.8% in 2023. Over this same period, the rate of extreme commuting in King County stayed much steadier, declining from 1.9 to 1.7.