ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · PA · GEOID 42636242024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Reading, Pennsylvania

Mean one-way trip24.1 min±1.7 min MOE
Worked from home6.4%±1.3 pp MOE
Drove alone61.6%±2.5 pp MOE
60+ minute trip6.9%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 commute24.6 min → 24.1 min▼ 0.5 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home3.9% → 6.4%▲ 2.5 pp

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

Public transit5.8% → 3.4%▼ 2.4 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone60.9% → 61.6%▲ 0.7 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone61.6% ±2.5 pp
Carpool18.1% ±1.9 pp
Public transit3.4% ±0.8 pp
Walk4.7% ±1.1 pp
Bicycle0.0% ±0.1 pp
Work from home6.4% ±1.3 pp

Each share uses 37,305 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.

41thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 59% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

9thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 91% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

83thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 83% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

54th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is higher than about 54% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate95,242± 88 MOE
Workers age 16+37,305± 1,497 MOE
Workers with travel time34,908± 1,473 MOE
Estimated home workers2,397± 503 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.