ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · IA · GEOID 19444002024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Le Mars, Iowa

Mean one-way trip16.3 min±2.7 min MOE
Worked from home3.2%±1.6 pp MOE
Drove alone82.0%±3.8 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.3%among commuters

U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates for residents age 16+ who work. Commute time excludes people working from home.

01 / THE SHIFT

What changed in the published estimate?

These periods overlap: 2021 covers 2017–2021 and 2024 covers 2020–2024. Changes are directional comparisons, not independent annual measurements.

Mean commute15.0 min → 16.3 min▲ 1.3 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home2.0% → 3.2%▲ 1.3 pp

Share of workers age 16+ who usually worked from home.

Public transit0.3% → 0.6%▲ 0.3 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone84.0% → 82.0%▼ 2.0 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone82.0% ±3.8 pp
Carpool12.2% ±4.1 pp
Public transit0.6% ±1.0 pp
Walk0.8% ±0.8 pp
Bicycle0.4% ±0.4 pp
Work from home3.2% ±1.6 pp

Each share uses 5,572 estimated workers as its denominator. Categories shown here do not include every ACS mode.

03 / PEER CONTEXT

Compared with similar-size places

Percentiles are single-metric context, never a “good commute” score.

7thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 93% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

6thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 94% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

60thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 60% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

20th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 80% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate10,640± 28 MOE
Workers age 16+5,572± 309 MOE
Workers with travel time5,391± 306 MOE
Estimated home workers181± 92 MOE
Why the ± matters

ACS values are survey estimates. The margin of error is the 90% confidence interval published by the Census Bureau or calculated for a share from published component margins. Small differences can be sampling noise.