ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · IA · GEOID 19742802024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Spencer, Iowa

Mean one-way trip15.8 min±2.9 min MOE
Worked from home5.8%±2.2 pp MOE
Drove alone82.2%±4.1 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.5%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 commute17.5 min → 15.8 min▼ 1.7 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home7.6% → 5.8%▼ 1.9 pp

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

Public transit1.0% → 1.1%▲ 0.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone79.2% → 82.2%▲ 3.1 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone82.2% ±4.1 pp
Carpool7.3% ±2.7 pp
Public transit1.1% ±1.5 pp
Walk3.1% ±1.8 pp
Bicycle0.4% ±0.5 pp
Work from home5.8% ±2.2 pp

Each share uses 5,525 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.

6thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 94% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

18thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 82% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

70thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 70% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

22th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 78% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate11,400± 28 MOE
Workers age 16+5,525± 329 MOE
Workers with travel time5,207± 320 MOE
Estimated home workers318± 124 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.