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New Data Shows Where Americans Bike to Work

Recent census data indicates bicycle commuting has jumped in some cities far more than others. View interactive data maps for more than 400 localities.

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New census data highlights areas of the country where people are more likely to strap on their helmets and bike to work.

Nationwide, more than 777,000 people rode bicycles as their primary means of traveling to work last year, according to the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey.

In most areas, cyclists accounted for only a small share of all commuters. Last year, they made up an estimated 0.56 percent of U.S. working adults, a rate that has remained relatively stable in recent years. Cyclists accounted for 0.53 percent of commuters in 2010 and 0.55 percent in 2009, according to the survey.

Some urban areas, though, are home to far greater numbers of cyclists than others. More than 5 percent of working adults reported biking to work in at least sixteen cities surveyed with populations exceeding 65,000. An estimated 16.6 percent of Davis, Calif., workers bike to their jobs, more than any other city in the country.

The following map shows the prevalence of biking to work for more than 400 cities and other Census-designated places surveyed. Larger icons represent cities where those who primarily bike to work accounted for higher shares (not raw numbers) of total commuters in 2011. (Open a full-screen interactive map or view data below)

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Measuring how many people regularly ride bikes is no easy task, and the Census survey represents rough estimates, accordingly. It’s important to note the methodology undercounts the number of commuters biking at any point during their trip to work. Respondents are asked to record a single transportation type for the longest distance traveled. So, those riding to public transportation stations or only biking to work once or twice a week wouldn’t count as bicycle commuters.

What’s more, Darren Flusche, policy director for the League of American Bicyclists, points out more ride for reasons other than strictly commuting to work.

The following table lists 2011 estimates for cities and other CDPs with populations more than 65,000. Please note that these are estimates, many of which have high margins of error:

 
           
City Bike Share of Commuters Total Bike Commuters Margin of Error (+/-) Total Workers Margin of Error (+/-)
Davis, California 16.6 4,923 1,198 29,663 1,927
Palo Alto, California 10.09 3,055 883 30,282 1,989
Boulder, Colorado 9.61 5,128 1,096 53,388 2,489
Berkeley, California 8.85 4,674 1,210 52,815 2,600
Eugene, Oregon 7.28 4,793 1,051 65,794 3,408
Fort Collins, Colorado 6.64 5,112 1,215 76,972 3,579
Santa Barbara, California 6.59 3,125 1,608 47,451 2,701
Chico, California 6.41 2,433 1,078 37,968 2,671
Flagstaff, Arizona 6.34 2,169 858 34,215 2,182
Miami Beach, Florida 6.3 3,028 1,514 48,038 4,007
Portland, Oregon 6.29 18,977 2,516 301,584 5,686
Mountain View, California 6.19 2,418 1,038 39,047 2,242
Gainesville, Florida 6.15 3,599 1,108 58,489 3,631
Missoula, Montana 5.73 1,945 830 33,942 2,478
Cambridge, Massachusetts 5.66 3,346 705 59,111 2,733
Bloomington, Indiana 5.19 1,804 753 34,768 3,042
Ann Arbor, Michigan 4.91 2,782 1,269 56,646 2,891
Madison, Wisconsin 4.69 6,144 1,292 130,935 3,570
Tempe, Arizona 4.17 3,387 1,157 81,204 4,580
Iowa City, Iowa 4.11 1,498 596 36,466 2,292
Bellingham, Washington 4 1,670 754 41,755 3,021
Somerville, Massachusetts 3.97 1,784 743 44,958 2,944
Provo, Utah 3.75 2,135 878 56,987 2,705
Santa Fe, New Mexico 3.61 1,231 552 34,121 2,133
Seattle, Washington 3.45 11,986 2,013 347,100 5,620
San Francisco, California 3.44 15,016 3,083 437,125 7,107
Minneapolis, Minnesota 3.37 6,670 1,298 197,791 4,021
Muncie, Indiana 3.2 834 507 26,061 2,337
Washington, District of Columbia 3.15 9,669 1,400 306,801 5,723
Oakland, California 3.09 5,487 1,544 177,625 5,119
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia 2.92 1,409 1,010 48,310 2,705
Champaign, Illinois 2.92 1,072 576 36,709 2,638
Costa Mesa, California 2.81 1,686 798 59,993 2,911
San Mateo, California 2.81 1,464 1,164 52,132 3,071
Greeley, Colorado 2.79 1,142 618 40,977 3,276
Tustin, California 2.78 1,101 1,026 39,672 2,920
Tucson, Arizona 2.77 6,111 1,506 220,658 6,240
Santa Monica, California 2.75 1,418 777 51,498 2,869
New Haven, Connecticut 2.72 1,459 613 53,628 3,060
Evanston, Illinois 2.53 918 371 36,227 2,096
Passaic, New Jersey 2.53 650 718 25,680 2,170
Burbank, California 2.45 1,245 965 50,832 2,906
Denver, Colorado 2.44 7,678 1,760 315,036 4,885
Boise City, Idaho 2.41 2,470 1,036 102,352 3,897
New Orleans, Louisiana 2.31 3,579 911 154,780 3,698
Salt Lake City, Utah 2.31 2,177 780 94,292 3,974
Newton, Massachusetts 2.21 982 659 44,534 2,437
Sacramento, California 2.2 4,216 1,154 191,640 5,803
College Station, Texas 2.13 959 476 44,966 3,331
Pompano Beach, Florida 2.07 847 729 40,924 3,295
Columbia, Missouri 1.97 1,124 412 57,016 2,989
Roseville, California 1.92 1,038 664 53,947 3,740
Pasadena, California 1.9 1,319 721 69,477 3,791
Austin, Texas 1.88 8,206 2,182 436,502 9,004
Alameda, California 1.87 689 436 36,813 2,583
Lexington-Fayette urban county, Kentucky 1.85 2,788 1,309 150,771 4,247
St. Petersburg, Florida 1.84 2,103 972 114,497 4,510
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1.77 10,320 2,072 582,455 9,368
Boston, Massachusetts 1.74 5,399 1,499 311,164 7,054
Lansing, Michigan 1.74 861 369 49,464 2,720
Charleston, South Carolina 1.74 1,008 446 57,946 3,469
Lawrence, Kansas 1.73 860 531 49,660 3,259
Sunnyvale, California 1.72 1,243 588 72,110 2,793
Fayetteville, Arkansas 1.7 656 560 38,618 2,537
Norman, Oklahoma 1.7 974 566 57,286 2,808
San Buenaventura, California 1.65 855 534 51,814 2,418
Clearwater, Florida 1.64 727 728 44,396 2,853
Rochester, New York 1.6 1,325 715 82,688 3,587
Salem, Oregon 1.58 920 516 58,176 3,309
West Palm Beach, Florida 1.57 753 936 47,836 3,624
Savannah, Georgia 1.57 900 562 57,232 3,026
Tampa, Florida 1.51 2,315 986 152,944 5,159
Fargo, North Dakota 1.49 950 646 63,722 2,780
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 1.49 457 327 30,678 2,060
El Monte, California 1.48 634 432 42,761 3,130
Atlanta, Georgia 1.47 2,955 1,334 201,249 6,411
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 1.44 504 544 34,934 2,222
Chicago, Illinois 1.4 16,833 2,525 1,199,278 12,030
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1.4 1,894 465 135,738 4,771
Wilmington, North Carolina 1.39 644 361 46,478 2,221
Scottsdale, Arizona 1.38 1,500 862 109,047 4,908
Albuquerque, New Mexico 1.38 3,460 967 251,079 5,245
Lincoln, Nebraska 1.36 1,883 619 138,670 3,622
Visalia, California 1.33 673 885 50,555 3,551
Billings, Montana 1.32 707 483 53,552 2,315
Huntington Beach, California 1.31 1,225 532 93,637 3,999
Modesto, California 1.31 992 599 75,930 3,696
Anaheim, California 1.29 1,939 993 150,396 4,501
Arlington CDP, Virginia 1.29 1,808 734 139,722 3,390
St. Cloud, Minnesota 1.28 418 267 32,537 2,538
Richmond, Virginia 1.28 1,212 469 94,683 3,594
Arden-Arcade CDP, California 1.25 460 346 36,801 3,539
St. Paul, Minnesota 1.24 1,698 560 136,768 3,922
Santa Clara, California 1.23 669 427 54,460 2,654
Vancouver, Washington 1.23 878 769 71,502 3,831
Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii 1.21 2,024 695 167,062 4,475
Las Cruces, New Mexico 1.21 519 411 42,920 3,072
Orem, Utah 1.21 456 308 37,819 2,498
Garden Grove, California 1.2 902 644 75,086 3,176
Reno, Nevada 1.2 1,299 750 108,202 5,288
Anchorage municipality, Alaska 1.17 1,805 659 153,881 4,048
Durham, North Carolina 1.16 1,309 861 112,505 3,434
Mesa, Arizona 1.15 2,215 925 192,154 6,469
Longmont, Colorado 1.15 497 331 43,225 2,627
Westminster, California 1.14 469 498 41,079 2,016
Buena Park, California 1.13 409 295 36,152 2,340
Pleasanton, California 1.13 368 425 32,431 2,207
Santa Rosa, California 1.13 848 573 75,132 3,709
Richmond, California 1.12 501 343 44,688 2,697
Albany, New York 1.12 495 404 44,118 2,306
Santa Ana, California 1.11 1,576 699 141,713 3,999
Glendale, Arizona 1.1 1,159 769 105,267 4,465
Long Beach, California 1.09 2,150 801 197,957 5,086
South Bend, Indiana 1.09 454 316 41,625 2,676
Hayward, California 1.08 706 670 65,321 3,334
Appleton, Wisconsin 1.05 376 255 35,708 2,258
Los Angeles, California 1.04 17,957 2,623 1,719,980 13,343
Chandler, Arizona 1.02 1,238 829 121,883 4,391
Lakewood, Colorado 1.02 745 460 73,014 2,961
Trenton, New Jersey 1.02 321 289 31,455 2,349
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1.02 859 436 84,315 3,181
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1.01 799 436 78,839 4,008
Green Bay, Wisconsin 1 489 310 48,944 2,634
Livermore, California 0.99 404 288 40,630 2,096
Orange, California 0.99 636 470 64,035 3,154
San Jose, California 0.98 4,410 1,822 449,872 8,266
Santa Maria, California 0.98 417 255 42,649 2,657
Bellflower, California 0.97 285 273 29,423 2,034
Centennial, Colorado 0.95 507 390 53,284 2,469
Riverside, California 0.94 1,153 601 122,376 4,937
San Diego, California 0.94 6,051 1,575 641,585 7,993
Simi Valley, California 0.94 600 551 64,052 3,105
Skokie, Illinois 0.92 266 322 28,989 2,403
Irvine, California 0.91 926 404 101,744 4,763
Lake Forest, California 0.89 364 334 41,002 2,545
Vacaville, California 0.89 354 406 39,635 2,818
Hesperia, California 0.88 254 270 28,921 2,667
Miami, Florida 0.88 1,536 821 173,678 5,377
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 0.88 936 430 106,160 4,008
Bloomington, Minnesota 0.88 380 230 42,987 1,836
Providence, Rhode Island 0.88 681 457 77,263 3,585
Lafayette, Louisiana 0.86 530 461 61,580 3,731
Walnut Creek, California 0.85 274 322 32,162 2,660
Kalamazoo, Michigan 0.85 269 183 31,786 2,279
Buffalo, New York 0.85 886 486 103,852 3,699
Medford, Oregon 0.85 249 224 29,258 2,415
Columbia, South Carolina 0.84 524 274 62,297 2,809
Fresno, California 0.83 1,505 608 180,477 6,096
Paradise CDP, Nevada 0.83 844 795 101,490 6,229
New York, New York 0.83 30,206 3,162 3,646,436 22,741
Spokane, Washington 0.82 758 387 92,264 3,944
Baltimore, Maryland 0.81 2,098 696 257,758 6,250
Duluth, Minnesota 0.81 322 245 39,978 1,788
Denton, Texas 0.81 464 290 56,960 4,176
Alexandria, Virginia 0.79 707 423 89,831 2,591
Escondido, California 0.77 462 620 60,207 3,257
Redlands, California 0.77 233 311 30,102 2,603
Portsmouth, Virginia 0.77 319 249 41,171 2,052
Phoenix, Arizona 0.76 4,917 1,398 647,188 12,337
Colorado Springs, Colorado 0.76 1,474 583 194,842 4,556
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 0.76 1,868 596 247,070 5,495
Portland, Maine 0.75 278 164 36,921 2,262
Metairie CDP, Louisiana 0.73 516 437 70,693 4,560
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 0.73 231 183 31,759 2,177
Tallahassee, Florida 0.72 637 392 89,084 4,186
San Angelo, Texas 0.72 313 317 43,509 2,207
Citrus Heights, California 0.71 258 258 36,151 2,337
Toms River CDP, New Jersey 0.71 292 331 41,362 2,468
South Gate, California 0.68 257 205 37,613 2,495
Norfolk, Virginia 0.68 838 422 123,022 3,812
Pueblo, Colorado 0.67 285 163 42,253 2,484
Newport Beach, California 0.66 270 229 40,893 2,734
Waco, Texas 0.66 337 320 51,328 2,619
Elk Grove, California 0.65 449 524 69,089 4,815
Hollywood, Florida 0.63 406 368 64,400 3,718
Orlando, Florida 0.63 787 528 124,230 4,639
Cleveland, Ohio 0.63 914 470 144,338 4,258
Redondo Beach, California 0.62 223 195 36,114 2,266
Bloomington, Illinois 0.62 248 235 40,319 1,974
Evansville, Indiana 0.62 340 213 54,704 2,876
Erie, Pennsylvania 0.62 275 241 44,093 2,251
Hartford, Connecticut 0.61 294 297 48,266 2,585
Lakeland, Florida 0.61 234 199 38,083 3,259
Alhambra, California 0.6 235 184 39,454 2,215
Inglewood, California 0.6 259 330 43,466 2,779
Arvada, Colorado 0.59 315 284 53,600 2,480
Rochester, Minnesota 0.59 338 209 57,196 1,952
North Charleston, South Carolina 0.59 274 248 46,294 3,632
Concord, California 0.58 315 272 54,492 2,623
Newark, New Jersey 0.58 595 503 102,448 3,847
Hillsboro, Oregon 0.57 270 194 47,382 3,100
Miami Gardens, Florida 0.56 237 277 42,520 2,873
Lafayette, Indiana 0.56 185 150 33,325 2,288
Hawthorne, California 0.55 204 204 37,371 2,454
Fullerton, California 0.54 326 316 60,670 3,893
Lakewood, California 0.54 209 312 38,906 2,462
San Bernardino, California 0.54 349 264 64,374 4,367
Columbus, Ohio 0.54 2,040 594 376,832 7,517
Kenosha, Wisconsin 0.54 235 214 43,251 2,679
Fremont, California 0.53 415 267 77,867 4,441
Shreveport, Louisiana 0.51 467 496 90,916 3,630
Gilbert town, Arizona 0.5 487 396 98,131 5,922
Oceanside, California 0.5 386 309 77,385 3,780
Richardson, Texas 0.5 269 358 54,284 2,506
Torrance, California 0.48 324 248 67,499 3,089
Aurora, Colorado 0.48 743 527 156,398 5,113
Camden, New Jersey 0.48 105 180 21,819 2,076
Syracuse, New York 0.48 257 164 53,441 2,267
Tacoma, Washington 0.48 422 326 87,671 4,045
Des Moines, Iowa 0.47 444 244 95,227 3,386
Glendale, California 0.45 379 350 83,351 3,601
Thousand Oaks, California 0.45 259 355 57,293 3,187
Coral Springs, Florida 0.45 265 329 59,371 3,308
Indianapolis, Indiana 0.45 1,660 635 367,774 6,524
Rochester Hills, Michigan 0.45 151 198 33,714 1,836
Asheville, North Carolina 0.45 172 183 38,270 2,661
Ogden, Utah 0.45 162 175 35,848 2,433
Rancho Cordova, California 0.44 120 120 27,389 2,060
Redwood City, California 0.44 166 198 37,425 2,207
Jacksonville, Florida 0.44 1,630 888 372,750 7,465
Toledo, Ohio 0.44 493 377 111,560 4,234
Topeka, Kansas 0.43 248 160 58,164 3,217
Raleigh, North Carolina 0.43 876 486 205,396 6,224
Lubbock, Texas 0.43 505 350 116,688 4,551
Virginia Beach, Virginia 0.43 984 484 230,997 4,531
Daly City, California 0.42 221 218 52,076 2,419
Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia 0.42 331 251 79,170 4,166
Tulsa, Oklahoma 0.42 778 362 184,057 4,155
Houston, Texas 0.42 4,191 1,582 992,606 13,834
Birmingham, Alabama 0.41 323 256 78,901 3,939
Boca Raton, Florida 0.41 165 176 40,093 2,338
Fort Wayne, Indiana 0.41 462 274 112,383 3,513
Grand Rapids, Michigan 0.41 334 255 81,823 3,655
Beaverton, Oregon 0.41 180 169 43,811 2,935
Yuma, Arizona 0.4 141 161 35,508 2,684
Bakersfield, California 0.4 564 361 139,907 5,091
Memphis, Tennessee 0.4 1,090 531 273,165 5,990
Everett, Washington 0.39 196 147 50,321 3,218
Pomona, California 0.38 222 216 59,166 3,409
Jersey City, New Jersey 0.38 465 404 123,683 3,880
Auburn, Washington 0.38 120 197 31,755 2,580
Stockton, California 0.37 382 337 104,072 4,387
Vallejo, California 0.37 179 227 48,684 2,783
Vista, California 0.37 136 181 36,851 2,889
Elizabeth, New Jersey 0.37 213 178 57,318 2,980
Cincinnati, Ohio 0.37 467 319 127,287 4,326
Chesapeake, Virginia 0.37 394 383 106,947 3,098
Dale City CDP, Virginia 0.37 122 203 33,391 3,815
Chula Vista, California 0.36 383 466 105,444 4,175
Milpitas, California 0.36 92 110 25,537 2,352
Palmdale, California 0.36 196 206 53,970 3,230
Highlands Ranch CDP, Colorado 0.36 197 195 54,562 3,520
Rockford, Illinois 0.36 205 203 56,658 2,795
Moreno Valley, California 0.35 241 237 68,831 4,725
Oxnard, California 0.35 306 198 87,370 3,890
Waterloo, Iowa 0.35 113 132 32,305 1,739
North Las Vegas, Nevada 0.35 319 317 90,061 5,909
Knoxville, Tennessee 0.35 307 260 86,579 3,668
Kennewick, Washington 0.35 102 174 28,769 2,583
Union City, California 0.34 87 147 25,228 2,222
West Covina, California 0.34 149 177 44,044 2,644
Pembroke Pines, Florida 0.34 252 418 73,177 3,833
Ontario, California 0.33 225 228 68,606 3,917
Redding, California 0.33 118 117 36,058 2,318
Santa Clarita, California 0.33 265 194 80,864 4,036
Kansas City, Kansas 0.33 198 243 59,488 2,278
Sparks, Nevada 0.33 137 202 42,032 2,773
Cary town, North Carolina 0.33 230 306 68,706 4,360
Corpus Christi, Texas 0.33 461 481 139,545 4,463
Fairfield, California 0.32 154 198 47,982 2,716
St. Louis, Missouri 0.32 442 338 137,735 4,078
Las Vegas, Nevada 0.32 812 464 250,111 7,996
Scranton, Pennsylvania 0.32 101 106 32,036 1,971
Nashville-Davidson Metro Gov., Tennessee 0.32 949 500 300,407 5,741
Norwalk, California 0.31 143 119 46,231 3,214
Salinas, California 0.31 188 155 60,483 3,139
San Antonio, Texas 0.31 1,818 862 593,480 9,336
Fort Smith, Arkansas 0.3 110 131 36,766 2,641
Kansas City, Missouri 0.3 679 406 224,469 5,088
Chattanooga, Tennessee 0.3 200 226 67,158 3,725
West Valley City, Utah 0.3 191 184 63,025 3,596
Waukesha, Wisconsin 0.3 106 175 35,626 2,224
Whittier, California 0.29 110 110 38,455 2,338
Huntsville, Alabama 0.28 233 252 84,523 3,229
Lynwood, California 0.28 68 114 24,366 1,861
Davenport, Iowa 0.28 125 127 44,639 2,356
Louisville/Jefferson County metro, Kentucky 0.28 733 434 263,046 6,582
Carlsbad, California 0.27 123 154 44,736 3,285
Bridgeport, Connecticut 0.27 159 191 59,121 3,630
Lawton, Oklahoma 0.27 122 145 45,993 2,393
East Los Angeles CDP, California 0.26 130 130 49,785 4,393
Merced, California 0.26 77 127 29,573 2,241
Grand Prairie, Texas 0.26 208 343 80,923 3,642
Longview, Texas 0.26 95 165 36,992 1,992
Midland, Texas 0.26 145 175 54,840 2,347
Renton, Washington 0.26 125 202 48,751 2,932
Peoria, Arizona 0.24 176 206 73,170 4,007
Compton, California 0.24 79 91 32,563 2,244
Bolingbrook, Illinois 0.23 86 143 36,893 2,812
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 0.23 157 115 66,905 2,659
Springfield, Missouri 0.23 174 214 76,900 2,728
Sunrise Manor CDP, Nevada 0.23 161 189 69,936 5,702
Greensboro, North Carolina 0.22 287 205 128,452 5,144
Allentown, Pennsylvania 0.22 100 119 46,052 3,064
Dothan, Alabama 0.21 61 86 29,026 1,177
Hialeah, Florida 0.21 202 227 94,936 4,114
Miramar, Florida 0.21 133 155 61,891 3,270
Schaumburg, Illinois 0.21 86 102 40,390 2,760
Springfield, Massachusetts 0.21 121 153 57,935 3,012
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 0.21 207 175 98,695 4,196
Reading, Pennsylvania 0.21 63 105 29,589 2,043
Stamford, Connecticut 0.2 124 211 62,966 3,435
Springfield, Illinois 0.2 109 128 55,062 2,276
Framingham CDP, Massachusetts 0.2 70 114 34,297 2,153
Worcester, Massachusetts 0.2 162 203 82,020 3,608
Dayton, Ohio 0.2 102 100 52,141 2,936
Dallas, Texas 0.2 1,116 602 555,467 8,656
El Paso, Texas 0.2 559 450 276,170 7,489
Fontana, California 0.19 144 197 76,617 4,248
Columbus, Georgia 0.19 150 155 80,865 3,305
Silver Spring CDP, Maryland 0.19 82 99 43,411 4,243
Irving, Texas 0.19 203 225 109,693 4,534
Little Rock, Arkansas 0.18 161 162 90,603 4,496
Aurora, Illinois 0.18 160 182 90,087 4,978
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 0.18 506 282 275,804 5,243
Odessa, Texas 0.18 91 160 49,462 2,230
Layton, Utah 0.18 59 97 32,373 2,156
Lynn, Massachusetts 0.17 70 84 41,735 2,273
Henderson, Nevada 0.17 196 140 115,685 4,678
Pittsburg, California 0.16 45 74 27,879 2,180
San Leandro, California 0.16 65 108 40,176 2,380
Yuba, California 0.16 39 67 24,010 2,450
Omaha, Nebraska 0.16 320 191 206,176 4,353
Schenectady, New York 0.16 48 82 29,528 1,778
Gresham, Oregon 0.16 70 117 44,196 2,833
Arlington, Texas 0.16 284 317 177,986 6,499
Racine, Wisconsin 0.16 54 94 34,230 2,349
Casas Adobes CDP, Arizona 0.15 45 74 30,606 2,996
Baldwin Park, California 0.15 45 75 30,939 1,872
Carson, California 0.15 60 100 39,034 2,994
El Cajon, California 0.15 59 70 38,544 2,938
St. Joseph, Missouri 0.15 55 91 35,992 2,379
Cranston, Rhode Island 0.15 50 83 34,277 2,605
Amarillo, Texas 0.15 140 146 91,727 2,890
Peoria, Illinois 0.14 67 112 46,333 2,222
Warren, Michigan 0.14 78 99 55,414 2,702
Abilene, Texas 0.14 69 112 50,381 2,351
Montgomery, Alabama 0.13 115 176 90,314 4,233
Columbia CDP, Maryland 0.13 70 118 54,528 3,255
Lowell, Massachusetts 0.13 62 117 48,857 2,955
Paterson, New Jersey 0.13 64 110 49,843 2,923
Beaumont, Texas 0.13 62 109 48,786 2,945
Elgin, Illinois 0.12 65 109 53,528 4,576
Plano, Texas 0.12 171 288 140,839 4,591
Newport News, Virginia 0.12 106 108 85,612 2,970
Olathe, Kansas 0.11 71 102 66,214 2,425
Wichita, Kansas 0.11 203 154 178,251 5,135
Wyoming, Michigan 0.11 39 65 36,288 2,446
Spring Valley CDP, Nevada 0.11 101 115 91,790 7,865
High Point, North Carolina 0.11 51 83 46,195 3,295
Overland Park, Kansas 0.1 90 113 93,382 3,299
Flint, Michigan 0.1 27 46 28,058 2,207
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 0.1 50 87 51,706 2,549
Fort Worth, Texas 0.1 331 229 329,444 8,188
Clovis, California 0.09 35 58 39,097 2,422
Troy, Michigan 0.09 32 53 37,617 1,969
Charlotte, North Carolina 0.09 322 317 360,738 6,861
Fayetteville, North Carolina 0.09 77 122 88,094 3,520
Pasadena, Texas 0.09 54 94 61,837 3,694
Corona, California 0.08 53 87 70,019 3,138
Turlock, California 0.08 23 38 27,729 2,399
Thornton, Colorado 0.08 50 85 59,359 2,942
Norwalk, Connecticut 0.08 39 65 49,303 2,346
Waukegan, Illinois 0.08 30 63 39,212 3,361
New Bedford, Massachusetts 0.08 32 50 42,167 2,481
Mission Viejo, California 0.07 33 55 44,102 2,333
Westminster, Colorado 0.07 40 69 56,012 3,052
Frederick, Maryland 0.07 23 38 33,374 2,932
Lee's Summit, Missouri 0.07 29 47 44,080 2,660
Wichita Falls, Texas 0.07 32 54 46,354 2,546
Bellevue, Washington 0.07 45 77 63,635 3,046
Kent, Washington 0.07 34 56 52,299 3,088
Waterbury, Connecticut 0.06 27 64 47,216 2,916
Detroit, Michigan 0.06 126 96 197,750 6,534
Sterling Heights, Michigan 0.06 36 59 57,019 2,658
McAllen, Texas 0.06 34 63 54,433 4,530
Roanoke, Virginia 0.06 25 41 43,394 2,295
Spokane Valley, Washington 0.06 21 35 35,775 2,476
Manchester, New Hampshire 0.05 28 45 57,004 2,599
Hampton, Virginia 0.05 33 57 63,323 2,501
Joliet, Illinois 0.04 28 49 68,570 3,958
Brownsville, Texas 0.04 24 41 64,615 3,251
Mobile, Alabama 0.03 23 41 80,834 3,333
Akron, Ohio 0.02 16 27 80,926 3,396
Laredo, Texas 0.02 22 44 89,729 4,247
Naperville, Illinois 0.01 5 10 69,559 3,512
Antioch, California 0 0 208 42,670 4,036
Florence-Graham CDP, California 0 0 208 24,508 3,202
Lancaster, California 0 0 208 54,098 3,253
San Marcos, California 0 0 208 32,841 2,983
San Ramon, California 0 0 208 35,991 2,207
Danbury, Connecticut 0 0 198 45,460 2,617
New Britain, Connecticut 0 0 198 29,822 2,385
Wilmington, Delaware 0 0 192 28,982 2,257
Sunrise, Florida 0 0 238 41,654 3,079
Albany, Georgia 0 0 225 27,801 1,778
Macon, Georgia 0 0 225 30,478 2,255
Palatine, Illinois 0 0 189 32,834 2,451
Gary, Indiana 0 0 190 25,073 2,382
Sioux City, Iowa 0 0 155 38,033 2,116
Brockton, Massachusetts 0 0 204 39,068 2,102
Fall River, Massachusetts 0 0 204 36,297 2,573
Lawrence, Massachusetts 0 0 204 31,178 2,075
Quincy, Massachusetts 0 0 204 48,396 2,595
Westland, Michigan 0 0 167 35,191 2,173
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 0 0 143 39,031 2,293
Jackson, Mississippi 0 0 206 69,701 3,538
Independence, Missouri 0 0 184 49,904 2,561
Nashua, New Hampshire 0 0 184 43,417 2,418
Clifton, New Jersey 0 0 198 39,941 2,635
East Orange, New Jersey 0 0 198 25,511 1,813
Union City, New Jersey 0 0 198 30,123 1,638
Mount Vernon, New York 0 0 192 31,943 1,855
New Rochelle, New York 0 0 192 35,530 2,364
Yonkers, New York 0 0 192 86,671 3,198
Jacksonville, North Carolina 0 0 220 38,813 2,086
Canton, Ohio 0 0 187 27,042 2,262
Parma, Ohio 0 0 187 38,047 2,019
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 0 0 207 31,393 2,126
Warwick, Rhode Island 0 0 207 41,244 1,833
Baytown, Texas 0 0 218 28,233 2,104
Carrollton, Texas 0 0 218 69,114 3,651
Garland, Texas 0 0 218 102,137 4,451
Tyler, Texas 0 0 218 42,538 2,433
Sandy, Utah 0 0 192 44,314 2,497
West Jordan, Utah 0 0 192 49,767 3,085
Lynchburg, Virginia 0 0 210 32,472 1,942
Federal Way, Washington 0 0 201 43,094 3,391
Yakima, Washington 0 0 201 36,972 2,993

Growth in cycling is far more noticeable in some areas than others. The League of American Bicyclists found a particularly sharp increase in bicycle commuting over the decade for cities receiving its “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation, including Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

“The places that are making investments in cycling have seen dramatic growth,” Flusche said.

Regional cultures and perceptions of cycling also play a role in its popularity. Flusche said many individuals don’t ever consider cycling as a potential option for traveling to work, which may also suppress the totals. “It’s just in the last 10 or 20 years that cities have started making these investments, so it’s a slow process in making [cycling] part of our everyday experience of how we get around,” he said.

Another map below (open full-screen version) shows areas of the country where bicycle commuting increased the most over the past five years. Larger map icons represent cities increasing or decreasing the most in terms of raw numbers of commuters primarily biking to work, as measured in the 2011 and 2006 American Community Survey. Green cities saw increases, red cities declined and yellow markers represent no estimated change over the five-year period.

bike-trends-large.jpg

Again, please keep in mind that most of these totals are very small, so changes often fall within the margin of error. You'll also notice many of the most populous cities recorded the largest gains in bicycle commuters.

For additional data, please see our previous maps illustrating public transportation commuting and walking to work.

Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.
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