ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · MI · GEOID 26655602024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Portage, Michigan

Mean one-way trip19.7 min±1.4 min MOE
Worked from home13.7%±1.9 pp MOE
Drove alone78.1%±2.4 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.5%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 commute20.0 min → 19.7 min▼ 0.3 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home8.1% → 13.7%▲ 5.6 pp

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

Public transit1.0% → 0.6%▼ 0.4 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone83.2% → 78.1%▼ 5.0 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone78.1% ±2.4 pp
Carpool5.3% ±1.4 pp
Public transit0.6% ±0.5 pp
Walk1.1% ±0.9 pp
Bicycle0.3% ±0.3 pp
Work from home13.7% ±1.9 pp

Each share uses 25,692 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.

16thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 84% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

51thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is higher than about 51% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

41thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is lower than about 59% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

18th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 82% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate49,259± 38 MOE
Workers age 16+25,692± 763 MOE
Workers with travel time22,172± 824 MOE
Estimated home workers3,520± 497 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.