ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · PA · GEOID 42851522024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Mean one-way trip20.7 min±2.3 min MOE
Worked from home8.2%±1.5 pp MOE
Drove alone69.0%±2.8 pp MOE
60+ minute trip5.9%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 commute20.1 min → 20.7 min▲ 0.6 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home6.2% → 8.2%▲ 2.0 pp

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

Public transit2.7% → 2.2%▼ 0.5 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone70.8% → 69.0%▼ 1.8 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone69.0% ±2.8 pp
Carpool12.4% ±2.1 pp
Public transit2.2% ±0.8 pp
Walk5.9% ±1.6 pp
Bicycle0.2% ±0.3 pp
Work from home8.2% ±1.5 pp

Each share uses 18,935 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.

21thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 79% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

19thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is lower than about 81% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

74thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is higher than about 74% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

44th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 56% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate44,423± 69 MOE
Workers age 16+18,935± 803 MOE
Workers with travel time17,388± 728 MOE
Estimated home workers1,547± 297 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.