Active transportation - Commuting by bicycling & walking
On this page:
Active transportation measures commuting by bicycling and walking
Commuting by bicycling and walking
Commuting by bicycle: More people are choosing to avoid the hassles of traffic congestion by bicycling to work and even doing their after-work shopping and errands by bicycle. Commuting by bicycle provides healthy exercise while traveling to and from work.
Commuting by walking: Walking can improve personal and environmental health, reduce traffic congestion, and enhance one's quality of life.
The available data on commuting undercounts the contributions of walking and bicycling to commuter travel and may undercount its contribution to all travel. Commuting data for walking and bicycling does not capture the use of these modes to get to bus stops, ferry terminals or commuter rail stations.
Source: U.S Census Bureau - American Community Survey
Note: 2023 data considered preliminary.
Performance highlights
In 2023, 3.1% of all Washington commuters walked to work while 0.7% bicycled. The percentage of commuters walking remained the same between 2022 and 2023 while the percentage of commuters bicycling increased by 0.1 percentage point.
In 2022, 3.1% of all Washington commuters walked to work while 0.6% bicycled. The percentage of commuters bicycling stayed the same between 2021 and 2022 while the percentage of commuters walking increased by 0.3 percentage points.
In 2021, 2.8% of all Washington commuters walked to work while 0.6% bicycled. The percentage of commuters bicycling decreased by 0.2 percent between 2020 and 2021 while the percentage of commuters walking also decreased by 0.8 percentage points.
In 2020, 3.6% of all Washington commuters walked to work while 0.8% bicycled. The percentage of commuters bicycling decreased by 0.1 percent between 2019 and 2020 while the percentage of commuters walking increased by 0.1 percentage points.
In 2019, 3.5% of all Washington commuters walked to work while 0.9% bicycled. The percentage of commuters bicycling percentage remained steady between 2018 and 2019 while the percentage of commuters walking decreased by 0.2 percentage points.