Between 2007 and 2016, there were widespread increases in rates of bicycling and taking transit to work, with increases in 38 and 31 states, respectively. Overall, there was an average 20% increase in the rate of bicycling to work and an average 6% increase in the rate of taking transit to work. More recently, changes between 2017 and 2020 show biking to work as flat or declining in most states and transit use for work down in all states.

Between 2007 and 2016, the rate of walking to work decreased in more states than it increased, with only 14 states showing an increase. This trend has continued between 2017-2020, with only Louisiana and the District of Columbia showing positive percentage point changes.

With the most recent data on commuting coming from 2020 and being limited to 5-year data there are substantial impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic on how people are commuting and the data we have available on how people are commuting.

It may be several years before we understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rates of biking, walking, and taking transit to work. For instance, non-federal data sources point towards some places experiencing more biking even if it is not reflected in federal data on commuting. Changes to supply chains, consumer demand, and other issues also point towards interest in new types of commuting outside of cars and trucks.

On this page:

Percentage of Commuters who Bike or Walk to Work

Footnote 1

BMR-IV-2.2.1-Map-Levels-of-Bicycling-and-Walking-to-Work-in-the-United-States_jun_22Download

Rates of Active Commuting

Footnote 2

IV-2-3-1_Rates_of_Active_Commuting-Updated_to_2020-2Download

Changes in Biking and Walking to Work

Footnote 3

Changes in Transit and Working from Home

IV-2-3-2_Changes_in_Commuter_Modeshare-Updated_to_2019Download
1

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey Table B08006 5-year estimate (2020). Available at https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

2

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey Table B08006 1-year estimate (2016). Available at https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

3

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey Table B08006 1-year estimate (2007). Available at https://factfinder.census.gov/ faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml and U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey Table B08006 1-year estimate (2016). Available at https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/ index.xhtml