ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · IL · GEOID 17191612024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

DeKalb, Illinois

Mean one-way trip23.8 min±3.1 min MOE
Worked from home6.3%±1.5 pp MOE
Drove alone71.2%±4.0 pp MOE
60+ minute trip7.9%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 commute22.5 min → 23.8 min▲ 1.2 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home3.4% → 6.3%▲ 2.9 pp

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

Public transit1.5% → 1.1%▼ 0.4 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone74.8% → 71.2%▼ 3.6 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone71.2% ±4.0 pp
Carpool12.2% ±3.3 pp
Public transit1.1% ±0.6 pp
Walk8.1% ±2.2 pp
Bicycle0.1% ±0.1 pp
Work from home6.3% ±1.5 pp

Each share uses 20,008 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.

39thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 61% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

9thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 91% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

55thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 55% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

61th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is higher than about 61% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate40,443± 215 MOE
Workers age 16+20,008± 904 MOE
Workers with travel time18,740± 936 MOE
Estimated home workers1,268± 304 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.