Public transportation - Commuter percentage
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Measure of public transportation usage: Percentage of commuters using public transportation
Commuter percentage
This measure is the percentage of commuters in Washington state who used public transportation to get to work.
Sources: WSDOT Public Transportation Division and U.S Census Bureau - American Community Survey
Multi-year trends
Between 2017 and 2021, the percentage of commuters who used public transportation went from 6.5% in 2017 to 2.1% in 2021. During this five-year period, the number of workers 16 years or older increased by 2.8%, from 3.57 million in 2017 to 3.67 million in 2021.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021 significantly reduced the percentage of commuters who use public transportation even though the estimated worker increased. COVID-19 pandemic mitigation in 2020 also encouraged people to work from home. According to census data, people who worked from home increased from 6.5% in 2019 to 24.2% in 2021.
Annual highlights
In 2021, 2.1% of Washington's 3.67 million workers aged 16 and older used public transportation to get to work. This was 1.4 percentage points lower than in 2020, when 3.5% of 3.59 million workers commuted by public transportation. In 2021, 24.2% of the workforce worked from home, increasing from 9.0% in 2020.
In 2020, 3.5% of Washington state's 3.59 million workers aged 16 and older used public transportation to get to work. This was 3.6 percentage points lower than in 2019, when 7.1% of 3.72 million workers commuted by public transportation.
In 2019, 7.1% of Washington state's 3.72 million workers 16 years old and older used public transportation to get to work. This was 0.1 percentage points higher than in 2018, when 7.0% of 3.66 million workers commuted by public transportation.
In 2018, 7.0% of Washington state's 3.66 million workers 16 years old and older used public transportation to get to work. This was 0.5 percentage points higher than in 2017, when 6.5% of 3.57 million workers commuted by public transportation.
In 2017, 6.5% of Washington state's 3.57 million workers 16 years old and older used public transportation to get to work. This was 0.1 percentage points higher than in 2016, when 6.4% of 3.46 million workers commuted by public transportation.