ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · NY · GEOID 36110002024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Buffalo, New York

Mean one-way trip19.9 min±0.7 min MOE
Worked from home11.3%±0.8 pp MOE
Drove alone62.8%±1.4 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.9%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 commute19.9 min → 19.9 min— 0.0 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home5.5% → 11.3%▲ 5.8 pp

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

Public transit9.1% → 8.1%▼ 1.0 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone68.1% → 62.8%▼ 5.3 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone62.8% ±1.4 pp
Carpool10.2% ±0.9 pp
Public transit8.1% ±0.8 pp
Walk4.5% ±0.6 pp
Bicycle0.7% ±0.2 pp
Work from home11.3% ±0.8 pp

Each share uses 120,738 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.

18thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 82% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

33thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 67% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

95thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 95% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

25th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 75% of covered places in the 100k–500k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate276,854± 74 MOE
Workers age 16+120,738± 2,331 MOE
Workers with travel time107,110± 2,179 MOE
Estimated home workers13,628± 1,034 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.