Metrocard Jockeys

New York is the undisputed champion in public transportation straphangers. About 1.87 million people, or 55%25 of commuters hopped on the subway or took a bus to work in 2005, according to a recently released Census Bureau report.

Chicago is a very distant second on the list with about 294,000 public transportation commuters. That’s about 25%25 of Chicago commuters.

Longest Average Daily Commutes

New York: 38.3 Minutes

Chicago: 33.2 Minutes

Newark: 31.5 Minutes

Riverside, Ca.: 31.2 Minutes

Philadelphia: 29.4 Minutes

Los Angeles: 29 Minutes

Miami: 29 Minutes

Baltimore: 29 Minutes

San Francisco: 28.5 Minutes

Washington: 28.4 Minutes

Source: U.S. Census

Walking Workers

It’s the East Coast that has the walkers. In Boston, 13%25 of workers hoof it to work -- tops on the list of the 25 biggest cities.

Washington and New York rank second and third, both in double digits. But in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, it was the rare techie who walked to work.

Fact:

Nationally, 2.5%25 of Americans walked to work in 2005, the fourth most popular mode of getting to our jobs.

Photo: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

Peddlers

Of the country’s largest cities, Portland, Ore., has the distinction of having the highest percentage of bicycle commuters. About 9,000 Portland workers pedal to work every day. That’s 3.5%25 of the city’s workforce, and it’s about eight times the national average for bike commuters, according to the Census Bureau.

Fact:

Portland has 638 miles of bike lanes, boulevards and paths. Oregonians are big on bike commuting. In Eugene -- home of the University of Oregon – about seven percent of commuters use two-wheel peddle-power.

Photo Credit: David Herrera

Carpoolers

About one in 10 Americans carpool to work, and about three-quarters of carpoolers ride with just one other person in the car.

Among the highest rates of car pooling in large U.S. cities are Mesa, Ariz. (16.7 %25); Phoenix (16.2 %25); Sacramento, Calif., (15.7 %25); Honolulu (15.6 %25); and Fresno, Calif. (15.1 %25).

Fact:

The average miles per gallon for passenger cars in the United States has risen to 22.1 in 2002, from 13.5 in 1970. But the miles traveled in passenger vehicles has risen even more dramatically, particularly with the popularity of vans, pickups and SUVs.

Photo Credit: Alan Levine

Stay-at-homers

Virtual commuting – or just plain working from home – has gained in popularity in the age of email, IM-ing and video conferencing.

Some 3.6%25 of Americans worked from home during 2005, according to a Census Bureau report recently released. This non-commuting option is particularly popular in San Francisco, which leads the nation’s biggest cities with virtual commuters. Some 6.3%25 of San Franciscan’s work from home.

Fact:

The virtual commute is more popular on a per-capita basis in the Western United States. Of large U.S. cities, Portland, Ore. had 5.3%25 of workers working from home; Seattle (5.1%25); Austin, Texas (5%25); and Colorado Springs (4.9%25).