- Mississippi has the highest drive-alone rate in the country at 80.3%, followed closely by Alabama at 80.0%—while Washington D.C. has the lowest at just 28.6%.
- Public transit commuting is heavily concentrated: New York (23.5%) and D.C. (22.9%) are the only two places where transit share breaks 20%; 41 states sit below 2%.
- D.C. also leads the country in working from home at 27.3%, more than 4x Mississippi's 6.4%, the lowest rate nationally.
- Every one of the 10 states with the highest drive-alone rates is in the South or Great Plains; every one of the 10 lowest is a dense Northeast/West Coast state or D.C.
These are state averages—your actual commute cost depends on your specific vehicle and route.
Calculate Your Exact Cost01 National Mode Share Overview
Nationally, 69.2% of American workers drove alone to work in 2023, with working from home (13.8%) the second most common mode—ahead of carpooling (9.0%) and public transit (3.5%) combined. But those national figures flatten enormous state-to-state variation: the drive-alone rate alone swings by more than 50 percentage points depending on where you live.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023, United States total (data.census.gov bulk download)02 States Where Driving Alone Is Most (and Least) Common
The 10 states with the highest drive-alone rates are concentrated in the South and Great Plains, where transit infrastructure is minimal and workplaces are spread out.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023| Rank | State | Drive Alone |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 80.3% |
| 2 | Alabama | 80.0% |
| 3 | Louisiana | 78.7% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 78.3% |
| 5 | West Virginia | 77.6% |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 77.4% |
| 7 | Nebraska | 76.9% |
| 8 | Kentucky | 76.7% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 76.7% |
| 10 | Kansas | 76.6% |
At the other end, D.C. and New York stand far apart from every other state—both are the only places where the drive-alone rate drops below 50%, driven by extensive transit systems.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023| Rank | State | Drive Alone |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Colorado | 66.0% |
| 43 | Maryland | 65.6% |
| 44 | Alaska | 65.5% |
| 45 | Washington | 64.9% |
| 46 | Oregon | 64.6% |
| 47 | Hawaii | 64.2% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 63.3% |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 62.8% |
| 50 | New York | 49.1% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 28.6% |
Want your exact commute cost instead of a state average? Enter your own vehicle and commute.
Use the Calculator03 Public Transit Usage by State
Public transit commuting is far more concentrated than any other mode. Just two places—New York and D.C.—account for the only double-digit transit shares in the country; the gap to third place (New Jersey, at 9.6%) is nearly as large as the gap from third place down to zero.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023| Rank | State | Public Transit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 23.5% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 22.9% |
| 3 | New Jersey | 9.6% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 7.3% |
| 5 | Illinois | 6.6% |
| 6 | Maryland | 4.9% |
| 7 | Hawaii | 4.1% |
| 8 | Washington | 4.0% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 3.8% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 3.7% |
04 Work-From-Home by State
Work-from-home share correlates with white-collar, remote-eligible industry concentration rather than population density alone—several of the top states (Colorado, Utah, Vermont, Minnesota) have modest-sized metro areas but high remote-work adoption.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023| Rank | State | Work From Home |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 27.3% |
| 2 | Colorado | 19.9% |
| 3 | Oregon | 17.7% |
| 4 | Arizona | 17.5% |
| 5 | Washington | 17.3% |
| 6 | Maryland | 16.9% |
| 7 | Virginia | 16.7% |
| 8 | Utah | 16.4% |
| 9 | Vermont | 16.2% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 16.1% |
05 All 50 States + D.C. Ranked
The full ranking below covers all 50 states plus D.C., ranked by drive-alone share, with carpool, public transit, and work-from-home rates alongside for each.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2023. Rows do not sum to 100%; walking, bicycling, taxi/motorcycle/other modes are omitted from this table for readability.| Rank | State | Drive Alone | Carpool | Transit | WFH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 80.3% | 10.3% | 0.2% | 6.4% |
| 2 | Alabama | 80.0% | 8.3% | 0.3% | 8.8% |
| 3 | Louisiana | 78.7% | 8.6% | 0.8% | 8.1% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 78.3% | 9.9% | 0.3% | 8.7% |
| 5 | West Virginia | 77.6% | 9.8% | 0.5% | 8.3% |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 77.4% | 9.9% | 0.3% | 9.1% |
| 7 | Nebraska | 76.9% | 8.6% | 0.5% | 10.1% |
| 8 | Kentucky | 76.7% | 9.9% | 0.7% | 9.5% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 76.7% | 10.1% | 0.2% | 8.3% |
| 10 | Kansas | 76.6% | 8.8% | 0.4% | 10.4% |
| 11 | Indiana | 76.4% | 9.4% | 0.7% | 10.4% |
| 12 | Iowa | 76.2% | 8.2% | 0.8% | 10.5% |
| 13 | South Carolina | 76.1% | 8.7% | 0.4% | 11.8% |
| 14 | South Dakota | 76.0% | 9.1% | 0.7% | 9.8% |
| 15 | Tennessee | 75.8% | 8.3% | 0.5% | 12.8% |
| 16 | Ohio | 75.4% | 8.1% | 1.1% | 11.9% |
| 17 | Michigan | 75.0% | 8.4% | 0.9% | 12.2% |
| 18 | Missouri | 75.0% | 8.4% | 0.8% | 12.5% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 74.9% | 7.6% | 1.1% | 12.2% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 74.8% | 10.1% | 0.7% | 10.7% |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 73.0% | 7.6% | 1.9% | 11.8% |
| 22 | Wyoming | 72.8% | 10.5% | 1.2% | 10.2% |
| 23 | Montana | 72.5% | 9.4% | 0.6% | 11.3% |
| 24 | Maine | 72.2% | 7.8% | 0.8% | 14.3% |
| 25 | Delaware | 72.1% | 8.2% | 2.3% | 13.6% |
| 26 | New Hampshire | 72.1% | 6.8% | 0.7% | 16.1% |
| 27 | Texas | 71.7% | 10.6% | 0.9% | 13.7% |
| 28 | North Carolina | 71.3% | 8.5% | 0.6% | 16.1% |
| 29 | Idaho | 71.0% | 10.2% | 0.6% | 13.5% |
| 30 | Georgia | 70.8% | 9.5% | 1.1% | 15.2% |
| 31 | Connecticut | 69.9% | 8.3% | 3.7% | 14.3% |
| 32 | Minnesota | 69.8% | 8.0% | 1.7% | 16.1% |
| 33 | Nevada | 69.8% | 12.1% | 2.3% | 11.6% |
| 34 | Florida | 69.1% | 9.7% | 1.4% | 15.8% |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | 68.5% | 8.2% | 3.8% | 14.1% |
| 36 | Virginia | 68.4% | 8.6% | 2.5% | 16.7% |
| 37 | Vermont | 68.1% | 8.5% | 0.9% | 16.2% |
| 38 | Utah | 68.0% | 10.5% | 1.6% | 16.4% |
| 39 | Arizona | 67.1% | 10.3% | 1.2% | 17.5% |
| 40 | California | 67.1% | 10.2% | 3.1% | 14.6% |
| 41 | Illinois | 66.2% | 8.3% | 6.6% | 14.0% |
| 42 | Colorado | 66.0% | 7.9% | 1.6% | 19.9% |
| 43 | Maryland | 65.6% | 8.3% | 4.9% | 16.9% |
| 44 | Alaska | 65.5% | 11.6% | 0.8% | 9.0% |
| 45 | Washington | 64.9% | 8.9% | 4.0% | 17.3% |
| 46 | Oregon | 64.6% | 9.4% | 2.2% | 17.7% |
| 47 | Hawaii | 64.2% | 15.8% | 4.1% | 8.7% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 63.3% | 8.0% | 9.6% | 14.0% |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 62.8% | 7.2% | 7.3% | 15.6% |
| 50 | New York | 49.1% | 6.4% | 23.5% | 12.4% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 28.6% | 4.1% | 22.9% | 27.3% |
06 Data Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey, Table S0801, 2023, all 50 states and D.C. data.census.gov