ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · NC · GEOID 37592802024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Sanford, North Carolina

Mean one-way trip23.3 min±2.4 min MOE
Worked from home8.1%±1.8 pp MOE
Drove alone77.4%±2.7 pp MOE
60+ minute trip7.7%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 commute24.3 min → 23.3 min▼ 0.9 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home3.2% → 8.1%▲ 4.8 pp

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

Public transit0.5% → 0.0%▼ 0.5 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone81.6% → 77.4%▼ 4.2 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone77.4% ±2.7 pp
Carpool12.5% ±2.9 pp
Public transit0.0% ±0.2 pp
Walk1.0% ±0.7 pp
Bicycle0.0% ±0.2 pp
Work from home8.1% ±1.8 pp

Each share uses 13,646 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.

36thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 64% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

18thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 82% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

3thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is lower than about 97% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

59th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is higher than about 59% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate31,478± 47 MOE
Workers age 16+13,646± 657 MOE
Workers with travel time12,543± 689 MOE
Estimated home workers1,103± 253 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.