ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · MI · GEOID 26764602024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Sterling Heights, Michigan

Mean one-way trip24.7 min±1.1 min MOE
Worked from home15.7%±1.6 pp MOE
Drove alone72.6%±1.5 pp MOE
60+ minute trip5.2%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 commute26.4 min → 24.7 min▼ 1.7 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home8.2% → 15.7%▲ 7.4 pp

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

Public transit0.6% → 0.5%▼ 0.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone80.3% → 72.6%▼ 7.7 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone72.6% ±1.5 pp
Carpool9.5% ±1.1 pp
Public transit0.5% ±0.3 pp
Walk0.6% ±0.2 pp
Bicycle0.4% ±0.2 pp
Work from home15.7% ±1.6 pp

Each share uses 61,731 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.

53thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is higher than about 53% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

65thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is higher than about 65% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

22thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is lower than about 78% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

45th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 55% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate133,573± 37 MOE
Workers age 16+61,731± 1,640 MOE
Workers with travel time52,065± 1,494 MOE
Estimated home workers9,666± 1,005 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.