Active commuting statistics measure different behaviors depending on the survey: usual commute mode, any walking or cycling trip, habitual transport, or travel-diary activity. The figures below therefore keep the population, geography, period and definition visible, rather than treating all walking, cycling and transit measures as interchangeable.
Key Active Commuting Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2022, 90.5% of U.S. workers usually commuted by privately owned vehicle in the National Household Travel Survey.
- In 2017, 8.2% of U.S. employed residents aged 16 and older used walking, bicycling or public transit for commuting in the American Community Survey combined measure.
- In 2017, 2.6% of U.S. employed residents aged 16 and older walked to work.
- In 2017, 0.6% of U.S. employed residents aged 16 and older bicycled to work.
- In 2017, 5.0% of U.S. employed residents aged 16 and older used transit to work.
- In 2017, combined walking, bicycling or public-transit commuting ranged from 1.7% in Alabama and Mississippi to 35.0% in New York.
- From 2006 to 2017, eight U.S. states had significant increases in combined active commuting.
- From 2017 to 2022, U.S. public-transit commute share fell 41%, from 7% to 4% in the NHTS summary.
- In 2022, the average U.S. commute trip was 13.43 miles across all commute modes.
- From 2001–2012, primary past-week walking or bicycling commute prevalence ranged from 2.6% to 3.4% across the cited U.S. surveillance measures.
- In 2024, England residents averaged 15 cycling trips and 16 cycling stages per person.
- In 2024, cycling represented 2% of trips and 1% of distance travelled in England.
- From 2019 to 2024, average walking trips in England rose 7%, from 250 to 267 per person.
- In 2024, 31% of cycling trips in England were for commuting, compared with 33% in 2019.
- In 2024, 46% of England respondents said none of the listed factors would encourage them to cycle more.
- In 2024, men in England averaged 23 cycling trips per person, compared with 8 for women.
Contents
- U.S. national active commuting trends
- U.S. state and regional commuting data
- Definitions across active commuting surveys
- England cycling and commuting trends
- Walking and cycling travel volume
- Participation barriers and measured differences
U.S. Active Commuting Statistics: National Trends
The NHTS usual-commute measure shows private vehicles remained dominant among U.S. workers from 2001 through 2022. Walking stayed near 3%, while transit rose in 2017 before falling in the 2022 survey.
| Year | Private vehicle | Public transit | Walking | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 90.8% | 5.1% | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| 2009 | 89.4% | 5.1% | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| 2017 | 87.5% | 6.9% | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| 2022 | 90.5% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 2.5% |
These are workers’ usual commute modes in the U.S. NHTS. The Other category includes bicycling, motorcycle, taxi, rideshare, truck and other modes, so it is not a complete active-commuting total. Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey
The NHTS summary describes public-transit commute share as decreasing 41% from 7% in 2017 to 4% in 2022; the rounded table values are 6.9% and 4.1%. Average commute trip length increased from 11.46 miles in 2017 to 13.43 miles in 2022, while average travel time rose from 26.58 to 27.72 minutes and average speed from 23.42 to 25.51 miles per hour.
U.S. State and Regional Active Commuting Data
The CDC analysis of ACS commuting data combines walking, bicycling and public transit. In 2017, the national combined prevalence was 8.2% among employed U.S. residents aged 16 and older, but state and regional differences were wide.
| Measure, 2017 | Lowest reported value | Highest reported value |
|---|---|---|
| Combined walking, bicycling or transit | 1.7% in Alabama and Mississippi | 35.0% in New York |
| Walking to work | 1.3% in Alabama | 6.9% in Alaska |
| Bicycling to work | Less than 0.1% in Mississippi | 2.2% in Oregon |
| Transit to work | 0.2% in South Dakota | 28.2% in New York |
The corresponding regional combined measure ranged from 4.2% in the South to 19.6% in the Northeast. Walking ranged from 1.8% in the South to 4.4% in the Northeast; bicycling ranged from 0.3% in the South to 0.9% in the West; and transit ranged from 2.0% in the South to 14.5% in the Northeast. Monitoring State-Level Changes in Walking, Biking, and Taking Public Transit to Work
State medians also show why a median estimate should not be read as the national weighted prevalence. The median state-level combined measure was 5.2% in 2006 and 4.9% in 2017; walking was 2.8% and 2.5%, bicycling 0.4% and 0.5%, and transit 1.4% in both years.
From 2006 to 2017, eight states had significant increases in combined active commuting. Massachusetts increased by 2.7 percentage points and New York by 2.2 points, while South Dakota decreased by 1.9 points and Idaho by 1.3 points.
Active Commuting Definitions Across U.S. Surveys
Survey design changes the size of the measured population. A primary past-week walking-or-bicycling commute measure ranged from 2.6% in the 2001 NHTS to 3.4% in ACS in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
By contrast, a single-day assessment of any active transportation ranged from 10.5% in the 2012 American Time Use Survey to 18.5% in the 2009 NHTS. Habitual active transportation in NHANES ranged from 23.9% in 2001–2002 to 31.4% in 2011–2012.
These measures should not be combined. The first describes a primary commute mode, the second captures any walking or bicycling transportation trip on a sampled day, and the third uses habitual-transport assessment windows with differing wording. Active Transportation Surveillance — United States, 1999–2012
England Cycling and Commuting Statistics After the Pandemic
England’s 2024 National Travel Survey recorded an average of 15 cycling trips and 16 cycling stages per person. Cycling averaged 16 trips and 17 stages in 2019, while the broader 2002–2024 series ranged from 14 to 20 trips per person; the source cautions that the relatively small cycling sample makes the series volatile.
| England cycling measure | 2019 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Trips per person | 16 | 15 |
| Stages per person | 17 | 16 |
| Cycling trip purpose: commuting | 33% | 31% |
| Cycling trip purpose: leisure | 34% | 41% |
| Miles per person | Not stated in supplied comparison | 53 |
England residents cycled an average of 53 miles per person in 2024, up 12% from 47 miles in 2023. Cycling accounted for 2% of trips, 2% of stages and 1% of distance travelled in 2024, while commuting represented 31% of cycling trips and leisure 41%.
These purpose shares are shares of cycling trips, not the percentage of all commuters who cycled. NTS 2024: Active travel
Walking and Cycling Travel Volume in England
Walking was much more common than cycling in England’s 2024 travel diary. Walking accounted for 29% of trips, 33% of stages and 4% of distance travelled.
- England residents averaged 267 walking trips per person in 2024, compared with 250 in 2019, a published 7% increase.
- Walks of at least one mile averaged 81 per person in 2024, compared with 65 in 2019, a published 25% increase.
- Residents averaged 339 walking stages per person in 2024, compared with 332 in 2019.
- Walking distance averaged 230 miles per person in 2024, compared with 205 miles in 2019, a published 12% increase.
- Walks of at least one mile contributed 129 miles per person in 2024, compared with 100 miles in 2019, a published 29% increase.
The most common walking-trip purpose in 2024 was “just walk,” at 32% of walking trips. Education or escort education and shopping each represented 18% of walking trips; these are trip-purpose shares, not commuting shares.
Active Commuting Participation Barriers and Differences
Attitudes data indicate that perceived infrastructure and safety matter to some respondents, but these responses do not establish that a factor caused observed behavior. In England’s 2024 cycling question, 46% said none of the listed factors would encourage them to cycle more, 22% selected safer roads, and 10% selected off-road or segregated cycle paths.
The 2023 walking-attitudes question produced a similar pattern: 50% said none of the listed factors would encourage them to walk more, 20% selected safer roads, and 14% selected well-maintained pavements. The pavement response specified even, clean, uncluttered and well-lit pavements.
Cycling participation also differed by sex in the 2024 England survey. Men averaged 23 cycling trips and 87 cycling miles per person, compared with 8 trips and 19 miles for women.
Among residents aged 40–49, men averaged 33 cycling trips and 161 cycling miles per person, while women averaged 12 trips and 28 miles. These are age-sex subgroup averages reported by the National Travel Survey, not estimates for all England residents.