The US Census Bureau has released its one-year 2024 American Community Survey (ACS). This article covers the overall national data and also the major metropolitan area data (the 57 with 1,000,000 more population in this decade).
US National Data
The largest gain was registered among those who work at home, with a 13.3% market share, up 133.0% from the 5.7% in 2019. The ACS figure measures the “usual mode” of work from home access. If that can be assumed to be 3 days per week, the number of people working at home at least part of the time would be higher. WFH Research estimates that 27% of full work days are at home, as of July 2025.
Carpools had a small increase, to 9.2% in 2024, up 3.6% from 8.9% in 2019. Carpools now account for 2.5 times the commuter demand of transit.
Driving alone continues to be down from before the pandemic (2019). In 2019, 69.2% of commuters drove alone to work, an 8.8% drop from the 2019 figure.
Transit continues to have the largest losses, with a 3.7% market share, down 25.6% from the 5.0% in 2019. However transit’s “modal reliability,” which estimates how consistently a commuter uses their primary mode of travel , suggests a smaller share. According to the National Household Travel Survey, the actual use of transit is about 35% lower.
Major Metropolitan Area Data
Work access data is provided for the 57 major metropolitan areas in Table 1. Table 2 includes the rankings for each major metropolitan area. This edition adds a new major metropolitan market, Omaha, NE-IA. The top five and bottom five major metropolitan areas are highlighted.
Drive Alone
The highest drive alone share was in Birmingham (78.6%), followed by Tulsa, Memphis, Oklahoma City and Cincinnati (62.5%). The metros with the lowest drive alone shares were New York (44.5%), behind San Francisco (this does not include San Jose, despite the fact that the San Jose metro is virtually across the street from the San Francisco metropolitan area, on both sides of San Francisco Bay), Washington, Boston and Seattle. As has been the experience for years, no major metropolitan area had a drive alone share lower than its transit share.
Work from Home
The highest working from home share was in Raleigh (Durham is in a separate metropolitan area, despite the fact that some analyses refer to Raleigh-Durham, which is justified by the fact that the Research Triangle Park divided between the two metros), at 23.5%. Raleigh is followed by Austin, Denver, Portland and Washington. The lowest working at home shares were in Honolulu (7.7%) behind Fresno, New Orleans Tulsa and Memphis.
Car Pools
The highest work car pool share was in Honolulu (14.2%), followed by Las Vegas, Fresno, San Antonio and Salt Lake City. The lowest car pool share was in New York (6.6%), behind Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Cincinnati and Denver.
Transit
The highest transit market share was in New York at 27.2%, followed by San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Washington. The lowest transit markets shares were in Oklahoma City, at 0.3%, behind Memphis, Tulsa, Jacksonville and Indianapolis. Overall, 18 of the 57 major metropolitan areas had transit access shares of 1.0% or less.
Bicycle
There seems to be outsized interest in bicycles, and so we are reporting the data. The highest bicycle market share is in San Jose, at 1.8%, followed by San Francisco, Portland, Boston and Honolulu. The lowest bicycle market share was in Memphis, at 0.1%, below Dallas-Fort Worth, Birmingham, Atlanta and Nashville. In each case, the bicycle market share is less than that of transit.
Walking
Surprisingly, walking is as popular or more popular than transit in most markets (36). This includes such markets as Austin, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus. Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa-St. Petersburg. Ironically a number of these metro areas have urban rail systems, and there have been proposals in others. Honolulu, Boston and New York had the strongest walking market shares. Birmingham had the lowest walking share, a 1.0%. Overall more people used transit than walked, with much larger transit shares in a few metros.
The Future
In the future, it is likely that the financial difficulties of transit will be the principal public policy issue in urban transportation. Transit has historically had costs that rose faster than inflation and its passenger revenue has been seriously eroded as a result of the large number of employees who work fewer than five days per week. Some of these employees now drive, while those that have remained on transit ride less frequently. At the same time, the problem is exacerbated by the large financial assistance provided by the federal government to ease the financial burdens of the pandemic. Most transit agencies face perhaps what could be overwhelming fiscal challenges in retaining service with considerably lower revenues. Private firms have faced such difficulties and survived. Transit may need to take a look at similar strategies.
Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia, an international public policy firm located in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is a Senior Fellow with Unleash Prosperity in Washington and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg and a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Demographics and Policy at Chapman University in Orange, California. He has served as a visiting professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris. His principal interests are economics, poverty alleviation, demographics, urban policy and transport. He is author of the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and author of Demographia World Urban Areas.
Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (1977-1985), which was a predecessor agency to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appointed him to the Amtrak Reform Council, to complete the unexpired term of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (1999-2002). He is author of War on the Dream: How Anti-Sprawl Policy Threatens the Quality of Life and Toward More Prosperous Cities: A Framing Essay on Urban Areas, Transport, Planning and the Dimensions of Sustainability.
Chart: U.S. means of work access, comparing 2019 data with 2024 data from American Community Survey.
Table 1 back to reference
| WORK ACCESS BY MODE — 2024: MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS | |||||||
| Major Metropolitan Areas | Drive Alone | Car Pool | Work from Home | Transit | Bicycle | Taxicab | Walk |
| Atlanta, GA | 67.8% | 8.5% | 18.8% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 2.0% | 1.1% |
| Austin, TX | 62.1% | 8.8% | 23.2% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Baltimore, MD | 68.4% | 8.3% | 15.1% | 3.5% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Birmingham, AL | 78.6% | 7.8% | 10.8% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Boston, MA-NH | 58.3% | 7.5% | 16.2% | 9.8% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 4.8% |
| Buffalo, NY | 75.3% | 7.6% | 10.4% | 2.4% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| Charlotte, NC-SC | 67.9% | 9.0% | 19.0% | 1.1% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Chicago, IL-IN | 62.5% | 8.0% | 14.9% | 9.0% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 3.3% |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 75.6% | 7.1% | 12.7% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Cleveland, OH | 71.8% | 8.6% | 13.5% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Columbus, OH | 70.6% | 8.0% | 16.9% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.8% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 70.5% | 10.1% | 15.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Denver, CO | 64.0% | 7.3% | 22.6% | 2.1% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 2.1% |
| Detroit, MI | 75.6% | 8.0% | 12.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 1.7% | 1.2% |
| Fresno, CA | 71.6% | 13.3% | 8.4% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 4.2% | 1.4% |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 75.5% | 8.4% | 11.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 2.1% |
| Hartford, CT | 71.6% | 8.1% | 13.8% | 3.0% | 0.3% | 1.7% | 1.6% |
| Honolulu, HI | 63.7% | 14.2% | 7.7% | 5.5% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 5.5% |
| Houston, TX | 71.8% | 11.0% | 12.1% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| Indianapolis. IN | 74.6% | 8.3% | 13.6% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 70.3% | 8.0% | 17.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 2.2% | 1.3% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 73.4% | 8.1% | 14.7% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| Las Vegas, NV | 69.8% | 12.0% | 11.4% | 2.3% | 0.2% | 2.6% | 1.5% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 67.0% | 9.7% | 14.9% | 3.5% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| Louisville, KY-IN | 75.1% | 8.4% | 12.5% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 76.4% | 10.8% | 9.9% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Miami, FL | 67.5% | 10.8% | 14.3% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 1.6% |
| Milwaukee,WI | 72.6% | 8.2% | 12.9% | 2.2% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 2.4% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | 68.5% | 7.5% | 17.4% | 2.1% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 2.2% |
| Nashville, TN | 70.5% | 9.2% | 16.8% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| New Orleans. LA | 71.5% | 10.6% | 9.2% | 2.3% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 3.6% |
| New York, NY-NJ | 44.5% | 6.6% | 12.9% | 27.2% | 0.9% | 2.4% | 5.4% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 76.3% | 9.9% | 10.5% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 75.1% | 8.8% | 12.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Orlando, FL | 68.9% | 9.7% | 16.8% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 2.0% | 1.2% |
| Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 64.1% | 7.8% | 15.4% | 7.3% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 3.3% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 66.3% | 10.5% | 17.8% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 2.4% | 1.4% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 69.7% | 6.8% | 15.7% | 3.4% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 2.7% |
| Portland, OR-WA | 62.9% | 8.3% | 20.0% | 3.4% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 2.9% |
| Providence, RI-MA | 72.2% | 8.8% | 11.1% | 2.5% | 0.5% | 1.9% | 2.9% |
| Raleigh, NC | 66.2% | 7.0% | 23.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Richmond, VA | 70.2% | 8.1% | 16.1% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 1.6% | 2.4% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | 73.8% | 11.6% | 10.9% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Rochester, NY | 74.2% | 8.0% | 12.0% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 2.8% |
| Sacramento, CA | 67.5% | 9.2% | 16.8% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.1% |
| St. Louis,, MO-IL | 73.7% | 8.3% | 13.3% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 1.1% | 1.6% |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 65.6% | 11.8% | 16.3% | 2.5% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 2.1% |
| San Antonio, TX | 69.5% | 12.0% | 13.4% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| San Diego, CA | 67.6% | 8.3% | 16.1% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 2.1% | 3.6% |
| San Francisco, CA | 53.4% | 9.4% | 18.9% | 10.9% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 4.0% |
| San Jose, CA | 65.5% | 10.9% | 14.6% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Seattle, WA | 60.3% | 9.0% | 18.5% | 6.3% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL | 67.1% | 8.6% | 19.3% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 2.2% | 1.3% |
| Tucson, AZ | 68.5% | 11.6% | 13.7% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Tulsa, OK | 77.1% | 10.5% | 9.4% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | 75.0% | 8.3% | 11.3% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV | 57.1% | 8.6% | 19.9% | 9.0% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 2.9% |
| SUBTOTAL | 65.3% | 8.9% | 15.3% | 5.6% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| OUTSIDE MAJOR METROS | 74.9% | 9.6% | 10.5% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.4% | 2.3% |
| TOTAL | 69.2% | 9.2% | 13.3% | 3.7% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 2.4% |
| PREPANDEMIC (2019) | 75.9% | 8.9% | 5.7% | 5.0% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 1.4% |
| Derived from American Community Survey 2024 (1 year) | |||||||
Table 2 back to reference
| WORK ACCESS BY MODE — 2024: MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS | |||||||
| Major Metropolitan Areas | Drive Alone | Car Pool | Work from Home | Transit | Bicycle | Taxicab | Walk |
| Atlanta, GA | 37 | 30 | 9 | 30 | 54 | 15 | 53 |
| Austin, TX | 52 | 24 | 2 | 32 | 22 | 14 | 29 |
| Baltimore, MD | 35 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 32 | 19 | 15 |
| Birmingham, AL | 1 | 49 | 50 | 48 | 55 | 56 | 57 |
| Boston, MA-NH | 54 | 52 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Buffalo, NY | 8 | 50 | 52 | 18 | 20 | 36 | 20 |
| Charlotte, NC-SC | 36 | 22 | 7 | 38 | 52 | 40 | 43 |
| Chicago, IL-IN | 51 | 46 | 27 | 4 | 11 | 32 | 8 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 5 | 54 | 39 | 41 | 50 | 28 | 32 |
| Cleveland, OH | 19 | 29 | 34 | 25 | 29 | 20 | 27 |
| Columbus, OH | 24 | 43 | 14 | 40 | 27 | 50 | 31 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 25 | 15 | 23 | 49 | 56 | 22 | 48 |
| Denver, CO | 48 | 53 | 3 | 23 | 17 | 47 | 23 |
| Detroit, MI | 6 | 44 | 40 | 44 | 43 | 25 | 52 |
| Fresno, CA | 21 | 2 | 56 | 46 | 31 | 1 | 40 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 7 | 32 | 46 | 37 | 42 | 52 | 24 |
| Hartford, CT | 22 | 42 | 31 | 13 | 36 | 23 | 34 |
| Honolulu, HI | 49 | 1 | 57 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Houston, TX | 20 | 8 | 43 | 27 | 39 | 21 | 44 |
| Indianapolis. IN | 12 | 35 | 33 | 53 | 48 | 44 | 42 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 27 | 45 | 13 | 54 | 30 | 7 | 47 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 16 | 40 | 28 | 50 | 45 | 33 | 41 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 29 | 3 | 45 | 19 | 41 | 2 | 37 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 42 | 18 | 26 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 19 |
| Louisville, KY-IN | 10 | 31 | 41 | 47 | 33 | 29 | 46 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 3 | 10 | 53 | 56 | 57 | 42 | 54 |
| Miami, FL | 39 | 11 | 30 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 35 |
| Milwaukee,WI | 17 | 39 | 37 | 21 | 23 | 49 | 18 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | 34 | 51 | 12 | 22 | 13 | 30 | 21 |
| Nashville, TN | 26 | 20 | 16 | 45 | 53 | 39 | 56 |
| New Orleans. LA | 23 | 12 | 55 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 7 |
| New York, NY-NJ | 57 | 57 | 38 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 4 | 16 | 51 | 57 | 46 | 46 | 38 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 9 | 26 | 42 | 52 | 51 | 48 | 33 |
| Orlando, FL | 32 | 17 | 15 | 39 | 35 | 16 | 50 |
| Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 47 | 48 | 24 | 6 | 15 | 34 | 9 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 43 | 13 | 11 | 35 | 26 | 5 | 39 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 30 | 56 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 43 | 14 |
| Portland, OR-WA | 50 | 38 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 51 | 12 |
| Providence, RI-MA | 18 | 25 | 48 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 11 |
| Raleigh, NC | 44 | 55 | 1 | 51 | 49 | 37 | 55 |
| Richmond, VA | 28 | 41 | 21 | 33 | 40 | 31 | 16 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | 14 | 7 | 49 | 43 | 37 | 45 | 51 |
| Rochester, NY | 13 | 47 | 44 | 36 | 25 | 41 | 13 |
| Sacramento, CA | 40 | 21 | 17 | 26 | 6 | 27 | 28 |
| St. Louis,, MO-IL | 15 | 37 | 36 | 28 | 38 | 53 | 36 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 45 | 5 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 55 | 26 |
| San Antonio, TX | 31 | 4 | 35 | 31 | 44 | 38 | 30 |
| San Diego, CA | 38 | 34 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 12 | 6 |
| San Francisco, CA | 56 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 4 |
| San Jose, CA | 46 | 9 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 17 |
| Seattle, WA | 53 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 57 | 5 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL | 41 | 27 | 6 | 42 | 16 | 8 | 49 |
| Tucson, AZ | 33 | 6 | 32 | 29 | 9 | 26 | 25 |
| Tulsa, OK | 2 | 14 | 54 | 55 | 47 | 54 | 45 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | 11 | 33 | 47 | 34 | 28 | 35 | 22 |
| Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV | 55 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 10 |
| Derived from American Community Survey 2024 (1 year) | |||||||
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