ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · NY · GEOID 36786082024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Watertown, New York

Mean one-way trip16.3 min±2.1 min MOE
Worked from home4.5%±1.5 pp MOE
Drove alone79.2%±3.3 pp MOE
60+ minute trip3.3%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 commute15.8 min → 16.3 min▲ 0.5 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home3.4% → 4.5%▲ 1.1 pp

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

Public transit2.0% → 0.9%▼ 1.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone78.4% → 79.2%▲ 0.8 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone79.2% ±3.3 pp
Carpool7.3% ±2.0 pp
Public transit0.9% ±0.7 pp
Walk5.7% ±2.2 pp
Bicycle0.5% ±0.5 pp
Work from home4.5% ±1.5 pp

Each share uses 11,659 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.

7thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 93% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

11thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 89% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

66thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 66% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

19th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 81% of covered places in the under 25k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate24,375± 33 MOE
Workers age 16+11,659± 585 MOE
Workers with travel time11,130± 576 MOE
Estimated home workers529± 175 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.