ACS 2024 5-YEAR ESTIMATES↗ DIRECTIONAL CHANGE FROM 2021UPDATED JAN 29, 2026
COMMUTESHIFTHow America gets to work
PLACE · WI · GEOID 55844752024 5-YEAR

COMMUTE PROFILE

Wausau, Wisconsin

Mean one-way trip15.4 min±1.3 min MOE
Worked from home14.3%±2.3 pp MOE
Drove alone71.6%±2.2 pp MOE
60+ minute trip2.8%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 commute14.9 min → 15.4 min▲ 0.6 min

Average for workers who did not work from home.

Work from home8.8% → 14.3%▲ 5.5 pp

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

Public transit0.8% → 0.7%▼ 0.1 pp

Public transportation excluding taxi.

Drive alone75.4% → 71.6%▼ 3.8 pp

Car, truck, or van—drove alone.

02 / MODE SHARE

How residents usually get to work

Drive alone71.6% ±2.2 pp
Carpool8.4% ±1.6 pp
Public transit0.7% ±0.5 pp
Walk2.6% ±1.1 pp
Bicycle0.7% ±0.5 pp
Work from home14.3% ±2.3 pp

Each share uses 19,517 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.

3thMean commute percentile

Mean commute time is lower than about 97% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

54thWork-from-home percentile

The work-from-home share is higher than about 54% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

44thTransit percentile

The public-transit share is lower than about 56% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

10th60+ minute percentile

The 60+ minute share is lower than about 90% of covered places in the 25k–100k population band.

04 / ESTIMATE BASE

The counts behind the shares

Population estimate39,996± 84 MOE
Workers age 16+19,517± 765 MOE
Workers with travel time16,730± 763 MOE
Estimated home workers2,787± 458 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.