Participation Statistics

This section contains:

• The basics
• Demographics
• Recent trends
• Interesting facts
• Incentives and events
• Youth
• Elderly

The basics

• 0.48% of American workers—more than 650,000 people—use a bike as their main vehicle for commuting.   - U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey.  See Bike Pittsburgh blog for results of 60 largest cities, or this report from Minneapolis for even more data.

• Bicycling is the second most popular outdoor activity in America.  In 2008, Americans ages 6 and older went on 2.62 billion bicycling outings, averaging 62 outings per bicyclist.   - Outdoor Foundation, 2008, Outdoor Recreation Participation Report 2008

• Less than 1% of all U.S. trips are made by bicycle.   - U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey

• Nearly 40% of all trips are 2 miles or less.   - U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey

• Nearly 40% of all bike trips are 1 mile or less.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• The average bicycle commute is 7.5 miles each way and takes 30.7 minutes    - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Why do people commute by bicycle?  According to a survey of 2,400 cyclists:

- 95% ride for health and fitness
- 82% do it for the environment
- 52% bike to avoid congestion
- 46% ride to save money on gasoline
- 34% want to avoid car-parking costs and availability

- Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• The average bicycle commuter makes eight one-way trips to work per week.    - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Estimations of the number of Americans who ride bicycles vary from 12.4% (NSGA) to 38.2% (OIA) due to differing survey methodologies. In general:
  
  - 1% of adults ride a bicycle on a given day
  - 5.3% ride on a given week
  - 16% ride on a given month
  - 29% ride in the summer
  - 40% ride in a year
  - 50% sometimes ride a bicycle, although not necessarily in a given year
  - National Sporting Goods Association, National Sporting Goods Association Sports Participation Study, 2008
  - Outdoor Industry Foundation, Outdoor Industry Foundation Outdoor Recreation Participation Study, 2006
  - Barnes, G., and K. Krizek, 2005, Estimating Bicycling Demand, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1939, 45-51

• 71% of Americans say they would like to bicycle more than they do now.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• The number of Americans who ride bicycles is greater than all those who ski, golf, and play tennis combined.   - National Sporting Goods Association, 2007

• The majority of bicycle trips are less than 30 minutes in length, although the average distance varies by purpose:
  
  - Entertainment, recreation, and fitness trips are generally longer, up to 30 or 40 km (18.6-24.9 mi)
  - Work trips tend to be around 20 km (12.4 mi)
  - Trips for shopping and trail access are shorter, under 10 km (6.2 mi)
  - Iacono, M., et al., 2008, Access to destinations: How close is close enough?: Estimating accurate distances decay functions for multiple modes and different purposes, Report #4 in the Access to Destination Study, Minnesota Department of Transportation 

•  Less than half (46%) of Americans 16 and older have regular access to a bicycle.             - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

•  The #1 reason given for not bicycling is a lack of access to a bicycle.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• During the summer of 2002, an estimated 2.5 billion bicycling trips were made by people 16 and older in the U.S.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• 54% of bicycle commuters commute by bike year-round.    - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

Demographics

• According to a 2006 survey by the Outdoor Industry Foundation, cycling participants are:
  
  - 58% male / 42% female
  - 29% ages 16 to 24 / 21% ages 25 to 34 / 23% ages 35 to 44 / 27% ages 45+
  - 53% married / 47% unmarried
  - 32% household income <$40,000 / 40% $40,000-$79,000 / 28% $80,000
  - Outdoors Foundation, 2006, Active Outdoor Recreation Participation Study 8th Edition

• U.S. cyclists who bike frequently have a median income of almost $60,000.   - SRDS, 2005, The Lifestyle Market Analyst

• Access to a bicycle rises with household income.  According to a government survey of nearly 10,000 Americans, just 29% of those with household incomes less than $15,000 had regular access to a bicycle, 47% with incomes $30,000-$49,000 had access, and 65% with incomes $75,000 or more had access.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• In northern Europe there are no significant differences in cycling rates among income classes or sexes.   - Pucher, J., and R. Buehler, 2008, Cycling for everyone: Lessons from Europe, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2074, 58-65

• Bicyclng is highest among whites and Hispanics (0.9% of all trips are taken by bike).  For whites, bicycles are mostly used for recreation, while for Hispanics, they are typically used to reach the workplace.   - Pucher, J., and J. Renne, 2003, Socioeconomics of Urban Travel: Evidence from the 2001 NHTS, Transportation Quarterly, 57, 49-77

• The average North American bicycle commuter is a 39-year-old male professional with a household income in excess of $45,000 who rides 10.6 months per year.          - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Children from low-income and minority households, particularly blacks and Hispanics, are more likely to bike or walk to school than whites or higher-income students.   - McDonald, N., 2008, Critical factors for active transportation to school among low-income and minority students: Evidence from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34, 341-344

Recent trends

• In New York City commuter cycling grew 35% between 2007 and 2008.  Cycling levels doubled between 2002 to 2008, and the number of cyclists crossing the Williamsburg Bridge quadrupled between 2000 and 2008.  Since 2007, 140 miles of new bicycle routes have been added to the city's on-street bicycle network.  - New York City Department of Transportation, 2008, Bicycle Screenline Count 
  

• Between 2005 and 2008, bicycling increased 104% in Philadelphia.   -Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, 2008, Double Dutch: Bicycling Jumps in Philadelphia
  

• Between 2007 and 2008, overall bicycle use in Portland, Oregon increased 28%.  - City of Portland Office of Transportation, 2008, Portland Bicycle Counts 2008

• In Portland, OR, 2008 total traffic fatalities were the lowest in recorded history, with only 20 total fatalities, none of them cyclists. 2008 car, pedestrian, and cyclist fatalities were all at all-time lows.  - Ciy of Portland, 2009, 2008 Fatality Summary

• As of 2008, in some Portland neighborhoods nearly 1/3 of residents use a bicycle as their primary or secondary mode to get to work.   - Portland City Auditor, 2008, Resident Survey Results
  

• In 2008, the number of licensed bicycle racers, events, and clubs grew for the sixth consecutive year.  Since 2002, the number of licensed racers has grown 48%.             - VeloNews, 2008, "Bike racing is growing in the U.S., USAC says"

• 2008 participation in Oregon's Cross Crusade race series grew 25% from 2007, with an average of 1045 participants per race.   - BikePortland.org, 2008, "Cross Crusade participation up 25% in 2008"

• Colorado's American Cycling Association saw a 23% increase in the number of cyclocross riders from 2007 to 2008, and an overall increase of 3.4%.  - Thompson, K., 2008, "ACA is showing strong increase in CX competitors", 303Cycling.com

• In Minneapolis the number of bicycle commuters increased 49% between 2006 and 2007.   - American Community Survey data in "Bike-to-work up 50 percent in 2007," September 29, 2008, D. Thomas, Minneapolis Downtown Journal

• In Pittsburgh the number of bicycle commuters increased 38% between 2006 and 2007.   - American Community Survey data in "Nationwide commuting trends, Pittsburgh increases rank in cycling," September 26, 2008, Bike Pittsburgh Blog

• In San Francisco the number of cyclists increased 15% between 2006 and 2007.  Some roads saw a 300% increase in cycling traffic.   - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, 2007, 2007 Citywide Bicycle Counts Report

• Traffic congestion on major urban U.S. roads decreased 30 percent from 2007 to 2008.  Ninety-nine of the 100 largest U.S. cities experienced decreases in congestion.   - INRIX, 2009, "INRIX National Traffic Scorecard reveals startling 30 percent decrease in traffic congestion in 2008"

• In 2008, helmet use and female cyclists reached all-time highs in Portland, Ore.  80% of recorded cyclists wore helmets, and 32% of all cyclists were female.  - City of Portland Office of Transportation, 2008, Portland Bicycle Counts 2008

• In Marin County, CA, bike commuting increased 66% while bicycle crashes declined 34% from 1998 to 2008.   - Marin County Bicycle Coalition, 2008, MCBC Weekly Bulletin for April 3, 2008

• According to a summer 2008 Bikes Belong survey of over 100 bicycle retailers, compared to 2007:

- 73% said they are selling more transportation-related bikes.
- 84% said they are selling more transportation-related accessories.
- 88% said they are selling more transportation-related service.

- 95% of shops said customers cited high gas prices as a reason for their transportation-related purchases.
- 80% of retailers said gas prices were helping them sell more bikes for transportation.
- 86% thought accessory sales were getting a boost.
- 89% said they were selling more service because of high gas prices.

• In a summer 2008 AARP survey, 15% of older adults said they had ridden a bicycle more frequently since gas prices had risen.  Yet only 4 in 10 said they thought their neighborhood had adequate bicycle accommodations.   - Skufca, L., 2008, Is the cost of gas leading Americans to use alternative transportaion? AARP

• A fall 2008 study estimated that 12% of the British workforce, around 3.3 million people, have recently started cycling to work in order to save money.  - Sainsbury's Home Insurance, 2008, "Over three million commuters start cycling to keep costs down" 

• In the Washington, D.C., region, an increasing number of daily trips are made for reasons other than commuting to work. Today, one-fifth of all daily trips are for commuting to work, down from one-quarter in 1994 and one-third in 1968. Non-commute trips also tend to be shorter than the median commute, averaging less than four miles compared to 9.3 miles.  - National Capital Transportation Planning Board Survey, 2009, in "Drivers taking more trips beyond daily commute," Weir, K., Washington Examiner, April 13, 2009

Interesting facts

• In the Yukon Territory, twice as many people bike to work as in California, and three times as many as in Florida.   - Pucher, J., and R. Buehler, 2006, Why Canadians cycle more than Americans: A comparative analysis of bicycling trends and policies, Transport Policy, 13, 265-79   

• Europeans bicycle an average of 188 km per year; United States residents bike only 40 km a year.   - Bassett, Jr., et al., 2008, Walking, cycling, and obesity rates in Europe, North America, and Australia, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5, 795-814

• In the Netherlands, 86% of people have a positive opinion of the car, while 5% have a negative opinion; 84% of Dutch have a positive opinion of the bicycle, while 7% have a negative opinion.   - Fietsberaad, 2009, "Car and bicycle are very highly appreciated"

• People who cycle more are generally more positive about bicycling for transportation.  Only 5% of Dutch frequent cyclists have a negative opinion of cycling, compared to 29% of infrequent cyclists.  - Fietsberaad, 2009, "Car and bicycle are very highly appreciated"

• 30% of bike commuters use a mountain bike, 28% a road bike, 18% a hybrid, and 17% a touring bike.  35% of bike commuters own a second, bad-weather bike.    - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Bicyclists with more automobiles in their household are less likely to bicycle for any purpose; while the more bicycles a cyclist owns, the more likely they are to choose to bicycle.   - Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?

• Bicycling for non-commuting purposes generally precedes bicycling for commuting.       - Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?

• Work trips account for only 15% of all trips.   - U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2001 National Household Travel Survey

• From 1977-1995, the number of bicycle trips taken in the U.S. doubled.   - Pucher, J., et al., 1999, Bicycling renaissance in North America?: Recent trends and alternative policies to promote bicycling, Transportation Research Part A, 33, 625-54

• On the average day when an adult rides a bicycle, he or she rides for about 40 minutes.   - Barnes, G., and K. Krizek, 2005, Estimating bicycling demand, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1939, 45-51

• 89% of bicycle trips begin at a residence.   - Royal, D., and D. Miller-Steiger, 2008, National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• The average commuting bicycle costs $687.   - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Paris’ automated bike-sharing system, Vélib', includes 20,600 bikes distributed among 1,451 stations throughout the city. In the first six months, people took the bikes on 13.4 million trips—an average of 75,000 trips per day.   - Vélib' press release

• High school students are less likely to bike or walk to school if they are girls, in grade 12, smoke daily, are low-moderate in physical activity, or attend a rural school.          - Robertson-Wilson, J., et al., 2008, Social-ecological correlates of active commuting to school among high school students, Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 486-95

• A person is 7% more likely to bike or walk to nonwork activities for every 1,000 retail workers within a half mile of their home.   - Chatman (2005) in Arrington, G., and R. Cervero, 2008, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 128

• The average bicycle commuter has been commuting by bike for 8.3 years.   - Moritz, W., 1997, Survey of North American bicycle commuters: Design and aggregate results, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1578, 91-101

• Communities with more parks have significantly higher levels of bicycling and walking for transportation.   - Zlot, A., and T. Schmid, 2005, Relationships among community characteristics and walking and bicycling for transportation or recreation, American Journal of Health Promotion, 19, 314-7

Incentives and events

• A £2 ($3.90) daily payment for commuting to work would double the level of cycling and reduce car demand by 5.4%.   - Wardman, M., et al., 2007, Factors influencing the propensity to cycle to work, Transportation Research Part A, 41, 339-50

• 38% of Washingtonians who bicycle commuted for the first time during a ride to work day commuted by bike after the event.   - Rose, G., and H. Marfurt, 2007, Travel behaviour change impacts of a major ride to work day event, Transportation Research Part A, 41, 351-64

• 27% of Australians who bicycle commuted for the first time during a ride to work day were still commuting by bicycle five months after the event.   - Rose, G., and H. Marfurt, 2007, Travel behaviour change impacts of a major ride to work day event, Transportation Research Part A, 41, 351-64

• People who have flexible work schedules are more likely to bike commute than those who don't.   - Sener et al., 2008, An analysis of bicyclists and bicycling characteristics: Who, why, and how much are they bicycling?

• Workers who are inactive are less likely to try biking or walking to work than those who are already physically active.   - Merom, D., et al., 2008, Predictors of initiating and maintaining active commuting to work using transport and public health perspectives in Australia, Preventive Medicine, 47, 342-346

• Workers whose commutes are shortest and go through the most connected streets are the most likely to bike or walk to work.   - Badland, H., et al., 2008, Travel behavior and objectively measured urban design variables: associations for adults traveling to work, Health & Place, 14, 85-95

Youth

• In one generation, the percentage of children who walk or bike to school has dropped from 50% to 15%.   - Safe Routes to School National Partnership, 2007, Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report

• 35% of Dutch adolescents cycle to school on most days, and nearly 50% bike or walk.   - Bere, E., et al., 2008, Socio-demographic factors as correlates of active commuting to school in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Preventive Medicine

• Once children have to commute more than 0.75 km (0.47 mi) to school, the chance that they commute by biking or walking drops.   - Merom, D., et al., 2006, Active commuting to school among NSW primary school children: Implications for public health, Health Place, 12, 678-87

• Children are more likely to bike or walk to school if they live less than 800 meters (0.5 mile) away.   - Timperio, A., et al., 2006, Personal, family, social, and environmental correlates of active commuting to school, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30, 45-51

• Bicycling is the most popular outdoor activity for American youth.  In 2008, Americans ages 6 to 17 went on 1.15 billion bicycling outings, averaging 74 outings per bicyclist.   - Outdoor Foundation, 2008, Outdoor Recreation Participation Report 2008

• In one study, over 90% of adolescents who perceived distance as a barrier to active commuting to school lived further than 2.5 miles from school.   - Nelson, N., et al., 2008, Active commuting to school: How far is too far?, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

• In large urban areas, 39% of land area is within 0.5 mile of a public school, and in small urban areas, 26.5% was within 0.5 mile of a public school.   - Watson, M., and A. Dannenberg, 2008, Investment in Safe Routes to School Projects: Public health benefits for the larger community

• 65.6 million people in urban areas could benefit from Safe Routes to School projects.   - Watson, M., and A. Dannenberg, 2008, Investment in Safe Routes to School Projects: Public health benefits for the larger community

• A 2007 analysis of California schools showed that Safe Routes to School infrastructure improvements increased biking and walking by up to 200%.   - Ornstein, M., et al., 2007, Safe Routes to School Safety and Mobility Analysis: A report to the California legislature, California Department of Transportation

• Regular cycling or walking to school (10+ trips/week) is associated with parents' travel mode to work.   - Merom, D., et al., 2006, Active commuting to school among NSW primary school children: Implications for public health, Health Place, 12, 678-87

• Young children (ages 5-14) with mothers who commute to work in the morning are less likely to bike or walk to school.   - McDonald, N., 2008, Household interactions and children's school travel: the effect of parental work patterns on walking and biking to school, Journal of Transport Geography, 16, 324-331

• The likelihood of children walking or biking to school is positively associated with shorter trips, male gender, higher land use mix, and presence of street trees.   - Larsen, K., et al., 2008, The influence of the physical environment and sociodemographic characteristics on children's mode of travel to and from school, American Journal of Public Health

• 2.8% of US high school students bike to school at least 1 day per week.  High schoolers who participate in physical education 1 to 4 days per week or never have an adult at home after school are more likely to bike or walk to school.   - Evenson, K., et al., 2003, Statewide prevalence and correlates of walking and bicycling to school, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 887-892

• Boys who report having many peers to hang out with locally are more likely to cycle for transportation and recreation.   - Carver, A., et al., 2005, How do perceptions of local neighborhood relate to adolescents' walking and cycling, American Journal of Health Promotion, 20, 139-47

• Urban adolescents cycle or walk to regular activities more often than rural adolescents.   - Sjolie, A., and F. Thuen, 2002, School journeys and leisure activities in rural and urban adolescents in Norway, Health Promotion International, 17, 21-30

• Youths who cycle or walk to school are more likely to cycle or walk to other activities.  - Sjolie, A., and F. Thuen, 2002, School journeys and leisure activities in rural and urban adolescents in Norway, Health Promotion International, 17, 21-30

For more research on youth participation, check out the Safe Routes to School National Partnership's Research site

 

Elderly

• In Germany and the Netherlands, the elderly make over half of trips by biking or walking.  In America, the elderly make only 9% of trips by biking or walking.   - Pucher, J., and J. Renne, 2003, Socioeconomics of Urban Travel: Evidence from the 2001 NHTS, Transportation Quarterly, 57, 49-77

• In the Netherlands, adults 75 or older make a quarter of all trips by bike.  In Germany, adults 75+ make 7% of trips by bike.  In the U.S., adults 65 or older make only 0.4% of all trips by bike.   - Pucher, J., and J. Renne, 2003, Socioeconomics of Urban Travel: Evidence from the 2001 NHTS, Transportation Quarterly, 57, 49-77

• More than one in five Americans 65 or older does not drive.  Over half of these non-drivers stay at home because they say they have no transportation options.   -Neal, M., et al., 2006, Age-related shifts in housing and transportation demand

• In a survey of American adults 65 and older, 82% said they worry that they will be stranded and unable to get around when they can no longer drive.   -Neal, M., et al., 2006, Age-related shifts in housing and transportation demand

• According to a summer 2008 survey of more than 1,000 Americans 50 and older, 94% were concerned about the recent rise in gas prices, and 15% said they had ridden a bicycle more frequently in response to high gas prices.  Younger respondents (age 50-64) were more likely than older respondents (age 65+) to say they had ridden a bike.         - Skufca, L., 2008, Is the cost of gas leading Americans to use alternative transportation?, AARP