Monitoring State-Level Changes in Walking, Biking, and Taking Public Transit to Work — American Community Survey, 2006 and 2017

Geoffrey P. Whitfield

doi:10.5888/pcd17.200097

Monitoring State-Level Changes in Walking, Biking, and Taking Public Transit to Work — American Community Survey, 2006 and 2017

ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 17 — October 1, 2020

PEER REVIEWED

When comparing 2017 to 2006, the prevalence of combined active commuting to work (walking, bicycling, or using public transit) significantly increased in 8 states (Hawaii [1.6 percentage points], Illinois [1.3], Massachusetts [2.7], Michigan [0.4], New Jersey [1.2], New York [2.2], Washington [1.3], and Virginia [0.9]) and significantly decreased in 12 states (Georgia [−0.4], Florida [−0.5], Idaho [−1.3], Indiana [−0.4], Maryland [−1.0], Mississippi [−0.6], New Hampshire [−1.3], Nevada [−0.9], Ohio [−0.8], South Dakota [−1.9], Texas [−0.6], and Wisconsin [−1.1]). The regional differences were Northeast, 1.4 (significant increase); Midwest, 0.1 (no significant change); South, −0.3 (significant decrease); and West, <.01 (no significant change).

Figure 1.
Significant percentage point changes in combined active commuting to work (walking, bicycling, or taking transit) among employed residents aged 16 years or older by state and US Census region, American Community Survey, 2006 to 2017.

Return to Article

Figure 2.
Percentage point changes in walking, bicycling, and taking transit to work among employed residents aged 16 years or older by state and US Census region, American Community Survey, 2006 to 2017.

Percentage point changes in walking, bicycling, and taking transit to work among employed residents aged 16 years or older by state and US Census region, American Community Survey, 2006 to 2017.
Region/State	Walk	Bike	Transit
North	−0.23^a	0.23^a	1.40^a
Rhode Island	0.67	0.00	−0.43
Massachusetts	0.53^a	0.38^a	1.83^a
Connecticut	−0.19	0.07	0.60^a
New York	−0.21	0.34^a	2.06^a
New Jersey	−0.44^a	−0.08	1.72^a
Pennsylvania	−0.45^a	0.30^a	0.15
Vermont	−0.46	−0.07	0.28
Maine	−0.60	0.12	−0.15
New Hampshire	−1.50^a	0.04	0.16
Midwest	−0.27^a	0.07^a	0.13^a
North Dakota	0.19	0.31	−0.03
Illinois	0.09	0.15^a	1.09^a
Michigan	0.02	0.11	0.26^a
Kansas	−0.23	0.07	−0.01
Missouri	−0.26	0.04	−0.04
Indiana	−0.34^a	0.03	−0.09
Minnesota	−0.42^a	0.08	0.35
Ohio	−0.44^a	0.11^a	−0.48^a
Wisconsin	−0.60^a	−0.17	−0.31
Iowa	−0.66^a	0.11	−0.05
Nebraska	−0.67	−0.05	0.21
South Dakota	−1.26^a	−0.28	−0.38
South	−0.13^a	0.08^a	−0.22^a
Washington, District of Columbia	0.90	3.60^a	−3.50^a
Virginia	0.44^a	0.22^a	0.19
South Carolina	0.36^a	−0.02	−0.11
Alabama	0.15	0.00	−0.06
Delaware	0.11	0.04	−0.21
Kentucky	0.04	0.07	0.04
Arkansas	0.00	−0.01	−0.21^a
North Carolina	−0.01	0.00	−0.06
Oklahoma	−0.08	0.10	−0.17
West Virginia	−0.14	0.00	−0.03
Tennessee	−0.15	0.02	−0.11
Georgia	−0.22^a	0.10^a	−0.27^a
Florida	−0.23^a	0.02	−0.27^a
Louisiana	−0.27	0.20^a	−0.07
Texas	−0.32^a	0.03	−0.32^a
Mississippi	−0.43^a	−0.09^a	−0.08
Maryland	−0.56^a	0.14^a	−0.58
West	−0.21^a	0.08^a	0.10^a
Wyoming	1.04	−0.54	−0.56
Hawaii	0.72	0.17	0.72
Oregon	0.02	0.49^a	−0.28
Washington	−0.02	−0.05	1.33^a
New Mexico	−0.09	0.13	−0.05
Montana	−0.13	−0.57	0.31
California	−0.18^a	0.13^a	−0.03
Nevada	−0.21	−0.18	−0.54
Colorado	−0.35	−0.10	0.20
Arizona	−0.39^a	0.12	−0.20
Utah	−0.49	0.07	0.02
Idaho	−.10^a	0.20	−0.36^a
Alaska	−2.09^a	−0.30	1.50^a
Nation	−0.20^a	0.10^a	0.20^a

Return to Article

Top

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.

Page last reviewed: October 1, 2020

Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion