Commuting refers to a worker’s travel from home to work. Several Census surveys including the American Community Survey (ACS), the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the Decennial Census (2000 and prior), and the American Housing Survey (AHS) include questions about the working population’s commutes.

Some of the questions asked on different surveys about commuting include:

• Primary means of transportation to work (including work from home)
• Secondary/other means of transportation to work (including work from home)
• Days worked from home
• Travel time to work
• Travel distance to work
• Time of departure for work
• Type of work schedule
• Reason for work schedule
• Expenses associated with commute
• Geographic location of place of work

The ability to link information about commuting to socio-demographic characteristics and geography allows planners to forecast local travel demand, gauge the amount of pressure placed on transportation infrastructure, and better address unmet transportation needs . Federal, state, and local planners and policymakers use the ACS and other Census Bureau surveys to guide decisions about how to allocate limited public resources devoted to transportation.