The US Work Commute by the Numbers

The U.S. Work Commute By The Numbers Among Americans Who Take Public Means of Transportation to Work Transportation to Work Car, Truck, or Van 86.3% The average American could Bus 53.0% save Commuter Rail $3,361.80 a year by biking to work* 4.5% Work Heavy Rail 33.7% at Home Light Rail 4.3% 4.0% Public Transportation (excluding taxicab) 5.2% Taxicab, Motorcycle, Other 1.2% Paratransit 1.8% Other Trolleybus 1.0% 1.7% States with the Bicycle .5% Walk 2.8% Longest Work Commutes Minutes New York 31.4 Maryland New Jersey 31.1 29.7 The average American has a 16-mile one-way work commute. Illinois 28.2 Georgia 27.2 5 Bike Commuting Cities Percent of Workers Who Bike to Work Portland 6.0% Minneapolis Seattle Sacramento 4.3% 2.9% 2.7% Flight from Washington, DC to LA on a 747 San Francisco 2.7% 2,280 Miles 11,400 Gallons The Boeing 747 burns five gallons of fuel per mile The average American commuter would have to bike to work every day for 30 years to fuel that flight (32-mile RT commute @ 22.4 MPG). Average Motor Vehicle Gasoline Usage Per Person, Per Year U.S. 428 gallons = 10 gallons Europe 59 gallons Top 5 Carpooling Cities Percent of Workers Who Share Rides Phoenix 13.7% 12.8% 12.8% 12.7% Austin Sacramento Houston Las Vegas 12.4% Average Length of Passenger Trip, by Mode of Public Transit 1.6 miles - Trolleybus 3.9 miles - Bus 4.6 miles - Light Rail 4.8 miles - Heavy Rail 6.3 miles - Ferry Boat 7.4 miles - Paratransit 23.4 miles - Commuter Rail *Check out our Bike-To-Work Calculator at Kiplinger.com to find out how much you could save by leaving the car at home. -Kiplinger– Sources: Kiplinger.com, 2008 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, American Public Transit Association, The Nature Conservancy