Transportation
How Americans get around — from personal vehicles to public transit and beyond.
✨ Key Insight
How Americans get around shapes everything from job access to healthcare to food security. In rural areas, lack of transportation is a barrier to employment for 1 in 5 job seekers.
Transportation Modes
Respondents could select multiple modes. Ranked by number of respondents.
Walkn=6,764
Personal vehiclen=5,278
Motorcyclen=2,926
School busn=2,522
Carpooln=2,265
Work from homen=1,691
Taxi/ridesharen=1,152
Bicyclen=981
Public transitn=242
Othern=217
No regular transportn=161
85.2%
Personal Vehicle
6.3%
Unmet Transport Needs
64.7%
Walk Access
Mode Breakdown (Weighted %)
Percentage of Americans using each transportation mode. Multiple selections allowed.
Personal vehicle85.2%
Walk64.7%
Bus31.2%
Taxi/rideshare29.8%
Bike/e-scooter25.1%
Rail transit15%
Borrowed vehicle14.8%
Rental/carshare12%
Motorcycle/moped3.6%
Ferryboat2.5%
Other1.8%
Paratransit1.6%
Rural vs Urban Transportation Gap
How transportation modes differ between metro and non-metro areas.
Walk
Metro
67.7%
Non-metro
61.5%
Bike/e-scooter
Metro
27.1%
Non-metro
22.9%
Personal vehicle
Metro
81.3%
Non-metro
89.5%
Taxi/rideshare
Metro
32.9%
Non-metro
26.5%
Bus
Metro
35.6%
Non-metro
26.5%
Rail transit
Metro
20.4%
Non-metro
9.3%
Transportation Access Adequacy
How well Americans' transportation needs are being met.
Enough to meet needs84.7%
Enough, but not preferred kinds9.1%
Sometimes not enough3%
Often not enough1.9%
Always not enough1.4%
Why Transportation Needs Go Unmet
Among the 6.3% with unmet transportation needs, these are the top reasons.
Too expensive42.2%
Not available when needed33.7%
Unpredictable31.6%
Disability limits options16.7%
Too much travel time16.6%
Feels unsafe11.7%