ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · ME · GEOID 23232002024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Ellsworth, Maine

Mean one-way trip24.5 min±4.3 min MOE
Worked from home7.1%±2.8 pp MOE
Drove alone71.2%±6.6 pp MOE
60+ minute trip6.5%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 commute22.4 min → 24.5 min▲ 2.0 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home4.6% → 7.1%▲ 2.5 pp

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

Public transit1.1% → 1.2%▲ 0.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone78.5% → 71.2%▼ 7.2 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone71.2% ±6.6 pp
Carpool13.3% ±5.0 pp
Public transit1.2% ±1.2 pp
Walk6.6% ±3.7 pp
Bicycle0.0% ±0.4 pp
Work from home7.1% ±2.8 pp

Each share uses 4,155 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.

47thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 53% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

26thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 74% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

71thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 71% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

49th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 51% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate8,657± 20 MOE
Workers age 16+4,155± 391 MOE
Workers with travel time3,860± 401 MOE
Estimated home workers295± 121 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.