ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · MA · GEOID 25092102024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Brookline, Massachusetts

Mean one-way trip27.1 min±1.8 min MOE
Worked from home30.1%±2.2 pp MOE
Drove alone28.4%±1.8 pp MOE
60+ minute trip6.0%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 commute28.4 min → 27.1 min▼ 1.3 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home20.6% → 30.1%▲ 9.6 pp

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

Public transit23.1% → 18.1%▼ 4.9 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone29.6% → 28.4%▼ 1.3 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone28.4% ±1.8 pp
Carpool3.2% ±0.8 pp
Public transit18.1% ±1.8 pp
Walk14.9% ±1.6 pp
Bicycle4.0% ±0.7 pp
Work from home30.1% ±2.2 pp

Each share uses 36,587 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.

61thMean commute percentile

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

95thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is higher than about 95% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

99thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 99% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

45th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 55% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate63,266± 43 MOE
Workers age 16+36,587± 1,068 MOE
Workers with travel time25,563± 1,141 MOE
Estimated home workers11,024± 878 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.