ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · IN · GEOID 18407882024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Lafayette, Indiana

Mean one-way trip16.4 min±1.1 min MOE
Worked from home8.0%±1.5 pp MOE
Drove alone79.6%±1.6 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.0%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 commute16.2 min → 16.4 min▲ 0.2 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home5.7% → 8.0%▲ 2.3 pp

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

Public transit2.2% → 2.2%— 0.0 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone80.1% → 79.6%▼ 0.5 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone79.6% ±1.6 pp
Carpool7.6% ±1.7 pp
Public transit2.2% ±0.6 pp
Walk1.8% ±0.5 pp
Bicycle0.2% ±0.1 pp
Work from home8.0% ±1.5 pp

Each share uses 35,239 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.

5thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 95% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

18thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 82% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

74thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 74% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

13th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 87% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate71,159± 236 MOE
Workers age 16+35,239± 1,223 MOE
Workers with travel time32,437± 1,166 MOE
Estimated home workers2,802± 521 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.