This topic looks at what we know about the prevalence of biking and walking based on public data. Major data sources include the annual American Community Survey by the Census Bureau and the periodic National Household Travel Survey by the US Department of Transportation.

Data on this page:

Data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) suggests that bicycling has been relatively stable as a percentage of all trips in the United States. 1 Between 2009 and 2017, about 1% of all trips in the United States were taken by bicycle. This stands in contrast to commuting data, which suggests an increase in the proportion of workers who commute by bicycle. 2

Percent of All Trips by Walking or Biking

Biking and Walking by Trips, Time, & Distance

Data on bicycling and walking to work comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. The decennial census reported on rates of bicycling and walking to work starting in 1980. 6

Percentage of Workers who Primarily Bike or Walk to Work Over Time

Number & Percent of People Biking to Work

Number & Percent of People Walking to Work

Bicycling, Walking, and Scooting Trips by Purpose, According to 2022 National Household Travel Survey

While 2022 NHTS data is based on smaller than usual sample sizes for bicycling, walking, transit, and other modes, the estimated trip purposes shown above for bicycling and walking are similar to those reported in the past. In the 2009 and 2017 NHTS, biking trips to “earn a living” were 12.7% of bicycling trips to 20.2% of bicycling trips, respectively. This NHTS data tells us that the most common form of information on the prevalence of biking and walking, the American Community Survey’s estimates of people who primarily bike or walk to work, likely does not capture 80% or more of people who bike and walk.