ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · IN · GEOID 18610922024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Portage, Indiana

Mean one-way trip27.3 min±2.1 min MOE
Worked from home5.5%±1.8 pp MOE
Drove alone83.5%±1.9 pp MOE
60+ minute trip7.3%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 commute29.0 min → 27.3 min▼ 1.7 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home3.4% → 5.5%▲ 2.2 pp

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

Public transit1.3% → 1.0%▼ 0.3 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone87.5% → 83.5%▼ 4.0 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone83.5% ±1.9 pp
Carpool7.7% ±2.3 pp
Public transit1.0% ±0.7 pp
Walk0.3% ±0.3 pp
Bicycle0.0% ±0.1 pp
Work from home5.5% ±1.8 pp

Each share uses 18,118 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.

62thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is higher than about 62% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

6thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 94% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

52thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 52% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

57th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is higher than about 57% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate38,082± 104 MOE
Workers age 16+18,118± 885 MOE
Workers with travel time17,114± 841 MOE
Estimated home workers1,004± 337 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.