This Is the Number of Bike Commuters in the U.S.

It’s National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20.
Statistics show that only 0.6 percent of commutes in the U.S. are done by bike.
Oregon tops the chart for the most bike commuters in the country, broken down by state.

Bike Adviser put together a report highlighting some interesting stats around bike commuting in the U.S.

Let’s start with the good news: In the last two decades, the number of reported bike commuters has nearly doubled. It seems to have peaked in 2014, then declined slightly pre-pandemic. The report only looked at commuter numbers from 2000 to 2019, though, so there is hope that the number is once again on the rise, given the bike boom caused by COVID-19.

The list of the top five states with the highest prevalence of bike commuters was illuminating as well. It’s probably no surprise that Oregon, Colorado, and Washington topped the list, since they’re states that are well known for cycling culture and outdoor recreation. But Montana and Wyoming were in the top five as well—impressive, especially considering the brutal winters in those areas! (Bike Adviser notes that these states all have solid infrastructure designed to make bike commutes easier, regardless of the weather.)

New York state just squeaked into the top 10, with 0.69 percent of the population of commuters reporting that they ride to work. However, it would be interesting to see how that percentage shifted if New York City was analyzed as its own entity, since commuting in Manhattan is arguably much easier and more accessible than commuting in much of the state.

In fact, New York City’s government reported that 8.9 percent of people commuted by bike in 2019. That’s a seemingly solid number, considering no U.S. state reported that over 2 percent of the population commuted by bike. By comparison, the Los Angeles Times reported that in Copenhagen, Denmark, 62 percent of people used a bike to get to work or school as of 2019.

Bike Adviser also cited data for percentage of bike commuters by gender. Nationwide, 77 percent of reported cycling commuters were men, though in three states—Alabama, Maine and New Mexico—women made up slightly more than half of the bike commuter population.

The bad news: While total bike commuting trips are up in recent years, the number of people riding to work is still low overall. Right now, only 0.6 percent of people in the U.S. commuting to work do so by bike, according to Bike Adviser. Wouldn’t be it great to see that number go up in the next few years?

Help boost those statistics this Friday on National Bike to Work Day by pedaling into the office, or at least running an errand or two by bike before or after work. According to the League of American Bicyclists, nearly 40 percent of trips taken in the U.S. are two miles or less, which is the perfect distance for a casual spring bike ride!

Bikes for Commuting

Aventon Level Commuter Ebike

$1,949 at Aventon Bikes

It has some great performance, is spec’d smartly, comes out of the box almost 100 percent ready for commuting use, and is priced well.

kona Kona Dr. Dew

$1,649 at KONA BIKES

The Dr. Dew is built for those looking for a bit more flash in their daily commute. It’s more sleek through the frame than the average commuter and comes equipped with tubeless-ready wheels.