ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · NJ · GEOID 34776002024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Watchung, New Jersey

Mean one-way trip33.6 min±8.9 min MOE
Worked from home27.1%±10.6 pp MOE
Drove alone60.4%±10.5 pp MOE
60+ minute trip19.2%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 commute35.2 min → 33.6 min▼ 1.6 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home18.8% → 27.1%▲ 8.3 pp

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

Public transit7.7% → 7.8%▲ 0.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone68.3% → 60.4%▼ 7.8 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone60.4% ±10.5 pp
Carpool3.3% ±3.9 pp
Public transit7.8% ±3.1 pp
Walk1.3% ±1.4 pp
Bicycle0.0% ±0.6 pp
Work from home27.1% ±10.6 pp

Each share uses 3,194 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.

89thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is higher than about 89% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

92thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is higher than about 92% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

95thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 95% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

93th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is higher than about 93% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate6,485± 27 MOE
Workers age 16+3,194± 339 MOE
Workers with travel time2,328± 420 MOE
Estimated home workers866± 351 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.