Commute

All data sources are from the American Community Survey unless otherwise noted.

Methodology

American Community Survey Data

From the Census: Why We Ask: Commuting/Journey to Work

From the Census: Why We Ask: Vehicle Available

Sample Survey Questions on this Topic

Place of Work

Tables about place of work can be used to determine to some extent how far people travel for their jobs. Columns do not refer to time or distance, but rather to whether or not people work in the same geography that they live in. While the "total" column for any of these could be used to know how many people work in a given census geography, that information is most easily found in table B08604. (Note that B08604 data is not tabulated at the Census tract level.)

Means of transportation to work

At first glance, there appear to be a surprising number of tables about how Americans get to work. This is partially because for most cross-tabulations, there are two versions of the table: one where the numbers represent people living in the selected geography, and another which represents people working in the selected geography.

Here are the basic answers available about means of transportation to work. In some tables, some of these answers are collapsed into fewer rows:

• Car, truck, or van:
  • Drove alone
  • Carpooled
    • In 2-person carpool
    • In 3-person carpool
    • In 4-or-more-person carpool
• Public transportation (excluding taxicab):
  • Bus or trolley bus
  • Streetcar or trolley car (carro publico in Puerto Rico)
  • Subway or elevated
  • Railroad
  • Ferryboat
• Bicycle
• Walked
• Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means
• Worked at home