Key Findings
- Mississippi has the highest drive-alone rate in the country at 81.2%, followed closely by Alabama at 80.8%, while Washington D.C. has the lowest at just 29.3%.
- Public transit commuting is heavily concentrated: D.C. (26.6%) and New York (24.2%) are the only two places where transit share is above 20%; 35 of the 50 states sit below 2%.
- D.C. also leads the country in working from home at 22.9%, more than 3x Mississippi's 6.2%, the lowest rate nationally.
- The 10 highest drive-alone rates run from 76.6% (Iowa) to 81.2% (Mississippi). D.C. and New York are the only two places where fewer than half of workers drive alone.
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01 National Mode Share Overview
Nationally, 69.2% of American workers drove alone to work in 2024, with working from home (13.3%) the second most common mode, ahead of carpooling (9.2%) and public transit (3.7%) 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, 2024, 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 listed below.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2024| Rank | State | Drive Alone |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 81.2% |
| 2 | Alabama | 80.8% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 78.4% |
| 4 | Louisiana | 78.3% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 78.1% |
| 6 | West Virginia | 77.6% |
| 7 | Indiana | 76.8% |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 76.8% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 76.7% |
| 10 | Iowa | 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%.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2024| Rank | State | Drive Alone |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Maryland | 66.4% |
| 43 | Illinois | 66.0% |
| 44 | Colorado | 65.4% |
| 45 | Oregon | 65.2% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 65.1% |
| 47 | Washington | 65.1% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 63.3% |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 62.0% |
| 50 | New York | 48.7% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 29.3% |
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Public transit commuting is far more concentrated than any other mode. D.C. (26.6%) and New York (24.2%) are the only places above 20%, and New Jersey is third at 9.7%.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2024| Rank | State | Public Transit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 26.6% |
| 2 | New York | 24.2% |
| 3 | New Jersey | 9.7% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 7.8% |
| 5 | Illinois | 7.0% |
| 6 | Maryland | 5.0% |
| 7 | Hawaii | 4.3% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 4.2% |
| 9 | Washington | 4.2% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 4.0% |
04 Work-From-Home by State
The 10 states and jurisdictions with the highest work-from-home shares are listed below.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S0801, 2024| Rank | State | Work From Home |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 22.9% |
| 2 | Colorado | 19.9% |
| 3 | Oregon | 17.1% |
| 4 | Washington | 16.4% |
| 5 | Arizona | 16.3% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 16.0% |
| 7 | Vermont | 16.0% |
| 8 | Virginia | 15.8% |
| 9 | Utah | 15.7% |
| 10 | Maryland | 15.6% |
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, 2024. 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 | 81.2% | 9.5% | 0.3% | 6.2% |
| 2 | Alabama | 80.8% | 7.9% | 0.4% | 8.3% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 78.4% | 10.0% | 0.3% | 8.6% |
| 4 | Louisiana | 78.3% | 9.3% | 0.9% | 8.0% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 78.1% | 9.4% | 0.2% | 8.0% |
| 6 | West Virginia | 77.6% | 9.1% | 0.6% | 8.8% |
| 7 | Indiana | 76.8% | 9.3% | 0.6% | 9.6% |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 76.8% | 10.6% | 0.3% | 8.9% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 76.7% | 10.2% | 0.5% | 7.1% |
| 10 | Iowa | 76.6% | 8.3% | 0.8% | 9.9% |
| 11 | Kentucky | 76.4% | 9.9% | 0.6% | 9.5% |
| 12 | Kansas | 76.0% | 9.4% | 0.3% | 10.3% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 75.8% | 9.8% | 0.5% | 9.7% |
| 14 | Michigan | 75.6% | 8.6% | 1.0% | 11.2% |
| 15 | Ohio | 75.2% | 8.1% | 1.0% | 11.9% |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 75.1% | 7.6% | 1.4% | 11.8% |
| 17 | Tennessee | 75.0% | 9.3% | 0.5% | 12.7% |
| 18 | South Carolina | 74.9% | 9.0% | 0.3% | 12.3% |
| 19 | Missouri | 74.8% | 9.0% | 1.0% | 11.8% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 73.8% | 11.3% | 0.5% | 10.3% |
| 21 | Idaho | 72.9% | 9.4% | 0.5% | 12.7% |
| 22 | Wyoming | 72.6% | 11.2% | 1.1% | 9.7% |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 72.3% | 7.2% | 0.6% | 16.0% |
| 24 | Delaware | 72.2% | 8.4% | 2.3% | 12.9% |
| 25 | Texas | 71.8% | 10.8% | 1.0% | 12.9% |
| 26 | Montana | 71.6% | 10.2% | 0.8% | 11.7% |
| 27 | North Carolina | 71.6% | 9.1% | 0.8% | 15.4% |
| 28 | Georgia | 71.4% | 9.3% | 1.2% | 14.9% |
| 29 | Rhode Island | 71.3% | 8.6% | 2.1% | 11.6% |
| 30 | Maine | 70.8% | 8.7% | 0.6% | 14.7% |
| 31 | Minnesota | 70.7% | 8.2% | 1.8% | 14.7% |
| 32 | Connecticut | 70.2% | 8.2% | 4.0% | 13.4% |
| 33 | Nevada | 70.0% | 11.8% | 2.5% | 11.3% |
| 34 | Florida | 69.0% | 10.0% | 1.3% | 15.5% |
| 35 | Virginia | 68.6% | 8.7% | 3.0% | 15.8% |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | 68.5% | 8.2% | 4.2% | 13.8% |
| 37 | Vermont | 67.9% | 8.1% | 1.4% | 16.0% |
| 38 | Utah | 67.7% | 10.8% | 1.9% | 15.7% |
| 39 | Arizona | 67.5% | 10.8% | 1.1% | 16.3% |
| 40 | California | 67.3% | 10.2% | 3.3% | 14.1% |
| 41 | Alaska | 66.8% | 12.4% | 0.7% | 8.4% |
| 42 | Maryland | 66.4% | 8.7% | 5.0% | 15.6% |
| 43 | Illinois | 66.0% | 8.3% | 7.0% | 13.6% |
| 44 | Colorado | 65.4% | 8.1% | 1.7% | 19.9% |
| 45 | Oregon | 65.2% | 9.2% | 2.4% | 17.1% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 65.1% | 14.5% | 4.3% | 8.9% |
| 47 | Washington | 65.1% | 9.1% | 4.2% | 16.4% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 63.3% | 8.3% | 9.7% | 13.5% |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 62.0% | 8.0% | 7.8% | 14.8% |
| 50 | New York | 48.7% | 6.7% | 24.2% | 11.8% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 29.3% | 4.1% | 26.6% | 22.9% |
06 Data Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey, Table S0801, 2024, all 50 states and D.C. data.census.gov
Disclaimer. This article is for informational purposes only. All data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau as cited. Figures are 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates and represent the primary means of transportation to work as self-reported by respondents. Percentages for each state do not sum to 100% because walking, bicycling, and taxi/motorcycle/other modes are omitted from the tables above for readability; see the Census source table for the complete breakdown.