ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · NC · GEOID 37310602024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Hickory, North Carolina

Mean one-way trip21.1 min±2.2 min MOE
Worked from home12.9%±2.7 pp MOE
Drove alone72.3%±3.6 pp MOE
60+ minute trip4.1%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 commute19.6 min → 21.1 min▲ 1.5 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home8.5% → 12.9%▲ 4.4 pp

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

Public transit0.3% → 0.1%▼ 0.3 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone73.8% → 72.3%▼ 1.5 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone72.3% ±3.6 pp
Carpool13.1% ±2.5 pp
Public transit0.1% ±0.1 pp
Walk0.9% ±0.5 pp
Bicycle0.2% ±0.2 pp
Work from home12.9% ±2.7 pp

Each share uses 20,242 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.

22thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 78% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

48thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 52% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

11thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is lower than about 89% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

26th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 74% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate44,258± 117 MOE
Workers age 16+20,242± 947 MOE
Workers with travel time17,627± 1,032 MOE
Estimated home workers2,615± 560 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.