How Philadelphians get to work

More than a third of Philadelphians walk, bike or take public transit to work, one of the highest percentages in the country.

A recent analysis from the Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma used data from the Census Bureau's latest American Community Survey to show which cities have the most residents who get to work by means other than driving.

In Philadelphia, 36.5 percent of residents commute by transit, walking or cycling, according to the data, the fifth-highest total in the country.

New York City led the nation, with 67 percent of New Yorkers getting to their jobs by transit, foot or bike. The District of Columbia, Boston and San Francisco also ranked above Philadelphia.

The data shows that 26 percent of Philadelphians take public transit, while 8.2 percent walk to work and 2.3 percent bike.

For some sets of workers, those numbers are even higher: Among Center City employees who commute from the suburbs or other Philadelphia neighborhoods, about 62 percent use transit, walking or cycling to get to work, according to a report released earlier this fall by the Center City District.

The IQC analysis shows that workers in the northeast part of the country are by far the most likely to commute by a method other than car. (The data only evaluated how people commute to work and didn't look at travel for errands, school, recreation or other activities.)

More than 50 percent of D.C. and Boston residents don't use a car to get to work. And across the state, in Pittsburgh, 29.2 percent of residents use other means, with 17.2 percent taking public transit, 10.6 percent walking and 1.4 percent cycling.

Outside the Northeast, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle were the only cities where more than a third of residents took transit, walked or biked to work.

Interactive IQC graphics showing the data are available here and here.