Lonely road: The counties in Oklahoma where people drive to work alone the most

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In Oklahoma, 77.4% of workers over 16 drove alone for their commutes in 2023.

In general, states in the central part of the country had the highest rates of drive-alone commutes, between the central South and Midwest. Mississippi and Alabama were the top states for solo commutes, with about 8 in 10 people driving alone to work. They were followed closely by neighboring Louisiana and Arkansas, where 78.7% and 78.3% of commuters drove alone, respectively.

As of 2023, these states had below-average rates of remote work as compared to the rest of the nation. In Mississippi, for instance, only 5.5% of people worked from home, compared to 15.2% nationally. Lacking opportunities to work remotely, commuters in these states maintained their solo drives.

Most leading states also have below-average gas prices, making drive-alone commutes more affordable. And with lower population density, there is more space between homes and workplaces, making other transportation modes less feasible.

Meanwhile, states in the Northeast and Northwest have lower drive-alone rates. In New York, fewer than half of workers drive alone to work. Solo drivers comprise between 62% and 65% of commuters in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawai'i, Oregon, and Washington. Each has some combination of population density, heightened environmental consciousness, existing or expanding infrastructure for public transit, cycling, and walkability, and incentives for carpooling. As a result, residents of the Northeast and Northwest are more likely to use alternative commute methods.

Additionally, the Northeast and Northwest offer plentiful jobs in business, finance, information, and other professional services—industries with more capabilities for remote work, per 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most employers in these industries increased telework after the pandemic's onset and continue to offer it at higher rates than the economy overall, BLS data shows. This further minimizes the need for drive-alone commutes in those areas.

Remote work opportunities have fallen since the pandemic's peak, and some have reverted back to their former driving habits. However, as the return of heavy traffic harms people's health, the economy, and the planet, and as gas prices in most areas of the country remain high, individuals and communities may continue seeking ways to cut down on their driving trips.

Read on to see the counties in Oklahoma with the most drive-alone commutes.

In the Northwest and mid-Atlantic, people drive to work alone at the lowest rates
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- Workers who drove alone: 78.6%
- Difference from state share: 1.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 6.9 percentage points higher

#50. Oklahoma County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 78.6%
- Difference from state share: 1.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 6.9 percentage points higher

#50. Tillman County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 78.7%
- Difference from state share: 1.3 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.0 percentage points higher

#49. Pushmataha County
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- Workers who drove alone: 78.8%
- Difference from state share: 1.4 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.1 percentage points higher

#48. Harmon County
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- Workers who drove alone: 79%
- Difference from state share: 1.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.3 percentage points higher

#47. Roger Mills County
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- Workers who drove alone: 79.1%
- Difference from state share: 1.7 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.4 percentage points higher

#46. Washington County
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- Workers who drove alone: 79.3%
- Difference from state share: 1.9 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.6 percentage points higher

#45. Texas County
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- Workers who drove alone: 79.6%
- Difference from state share: 2.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 7.9 percentage points higher

#44. Lincoln County
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- Workers who drove alone: 80%
- Difference from state share: 2.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.3 percentage points higher

#43. Logan County
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.2%
- Difference from state share: 2.8 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.5 percentage points higher

#42. Kay County
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.4%
- Difference from state share: 3.0 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.7 percentage points higher

#41. Love County
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.5%
- Difference from state share: 3.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.8 percentage points higher

#40. Caddo County
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.6%
- Difference from state share: 3.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.9 percentage points higher

#36. Adair County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.6%
- Difference from state share: 3.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.9 percentage points higher

#36. Carter County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.6%
- Difference from state share: 3.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.9 percentage points higher

#36. Cotton County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 80.6%
- Difference from state share: 3.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 8.9 percentage points higher

#36. Hughes County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 81%
- Difference from state share: 3.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.3 percentage points higher

#34. Haskell County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 81%
- Difference from state share: 3.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.3 percentage points higher

#34. Mayes County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 81.3%
- Difference from state share: 3.9 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.6 percentage points higher

#33. Marshall County
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- Workers who drove alone: 81.5%
- Difference from state share: 4.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.8 percentage points higher

#31. Bryan County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 81.5%
- Difference from state share: 4.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.8 percentage points higher

#31. Seminole County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 81.6%
- Difference from state share: 4.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 9.9 percentage points higher

#30. Osage County
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- Workers who drove alone: 81.8%
- Difference from state share: 4.4 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.1 percentage points higher

#29. Alfalfa County
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- Workers who drove alone: 82%
- Difference from state share: 4.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.3 percentage points higher

#27. Custer County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82%
- Difference from state share: 4.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.3 percentage points higher

#27. Woodward County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.1%
- Difference from state share: 4.7 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.4 percentage points higher

#25. Rogers County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.1%
- Difference from state share: 4.7 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.4 percentage points higher

#25. Stephens County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.2%
- Difference from state share: 4.8 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 10.5 percentage points higher

#24. Wagoner County
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.7%
- Difference from state share: 5.3 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.0 percentage points higher

#22. Creek County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.7%
- Difference from state share: 5.3 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.0 percentage points higher

#22. Muskogee County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.8%
- Difference from state share: 5.4 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.1 percentage points higher

#21. Pittsburg County
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.9%
- Difference from state share: 5.5 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.2 percentage points higher

#19. Grady County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 82.9%
- Difference from state share: 5.5 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.2 percentage points higher

#19. Pontotoc County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.1%
- Difference from state share: 5.7 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.4 percentage points higher

#18. Canadian County
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.5%
- Difference from state share: 6.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.8 percentage points higher

#16. Grant County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.5%
- Difference from state share: 6.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.8 percentage points higher

#16. Harper County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.6%
- Difference from state share: 6.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.9 percentage points higher

#14. Jackson County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.6%
- Difference from state share: 6.2 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 11.9 percentage points higher

#14. Pottawatomie County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.7%
- Difference from state share: 6.3 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.0 percentage points higher

#13. Le Flore County
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.9%
- Difference from state share: 6.5 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.2 percentage points higher

#11. Kingfisher County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 83.9%
- Difference from state share: 6.5 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.2 percentage points higher

#11. McClain County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 84%
- Difference from state share: 6.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.3 percentage points higher

#9. Garvin County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 84%
- Difference from state share: 6.6 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.3 percentage points higher

#9. Ottawa County (tie)
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- Workers who drove alone: 84.2%
- Difference from state share: 6.8 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.5 percentage points higher

#8. Pawnee County
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- Workers who drove alone: 84.5%
- Difference from state share: 7.1 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 12.8 percentage points higher

#7. Greer County
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- Workers who drove alone: 85.1%
- Difference from state share: 7.7 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 13.4 percentage points higher

#6. McCurtain County
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- Workers who drove alone: 85.2%
- Difference from state share: 7.8 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 13.5 percentage points higher

#5. Sequoyah County
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- Workers who drove alone: 85.3%
- Difference from state share: 7.9 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 13.6 percentage points higher

#4. Major County
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- Workers who drove alone: 86.3%
- Difference from state share: 8.9 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 14.6 percentage points higher

#3. Blaine County
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- Workers who drove alone: 88.2%
- Difference from state share: 10.8 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 16.5 percentage points higher

#2. Latimer County
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- Workers who drove alone: 89.3%
- Difference from state share: 11.9 percentage points higher
- Difference from national share: 17.6 percentage points higher

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

#1. Murray County
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