- 76% of American workers drive alone to work, making solo driving the dominant commuting mode by a wide margin.
- Carpooling (9%) and public transit (5%) are the next most common modes, followed by working from home (14%).
- The drive-alone share has remained remarkably stable at 76–77% for two decades, despite investments in transit and bike infrastructure.
- Work-from-home surged from 5.7% in 2019 to 14.0% in 2023, the largest commuting mode shift in Census history.
01 National Mode Share
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey asks every respondent how they usually get to work. The 2023 data shows that the automobile remains overwhelmingly dominant in American commuting.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B08301, 2023| Mode of Transportation | Share (2023) | Workers (millions) |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 76.0% | 115.6 |
| Worked from home | 14.0% | 21.3 |
| Carpooled | 8.9% | 13.5 |
| Public transit | 4.9% | 7.5 |
| Walked | 2.5% | 3.8 |
| Bicycle | 0.5% | 0.8 |
| Other (taxi, motorcycle, etc.) | 1.7% | 2.6 |
Combined, 85% of American commuters use a personal vehicle (driving alone or carpooling) to get to work. This automobile dependence is a fundamental driver of household fuel spending in America.
Census ACS 2023; 76.0% + 8.9% = 84.9% personal vehicle commuters02 Mode Share by State
The drive-alone rate varies significantly by state, from under 55% in Washington D.C. to over 85% in several southern and midwestern states. States with higher transit usage, walkability, or remote-work rates have lower solo driving shares.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B08301 by state, 2023| State | Drive Alone | Transit | WFH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 86% | 0.5% | 8% |
| Mississippi | 85% | 0.6% | 7% |
| Texas | 81% | 2.0% | 10% |
| U.S. Average | 76% | 4.9% | 14% |
| California | 73% | 4.5% | 15% |
| Colorado | 72% | 3.5% | 18% |
| New York | 53% | 27% | 12% |
| D.C. | 33% | 32% | 24% |
03 Trends Over Two Decades
Despite significant investments in public transit, bike infrastructure, and ride-sharing platforms, the drive-alone commute share has been remarkably persistent. Census data shows it has hovered between 76% and 77% since the early 2000s.
Census ACS, Table B08301, 2005–2023 annual estimates| Year | Drive Alone | Carpool | Transit | WFH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 77% | 11% | 5.0% | 3.6% |
| 2010 | 76% | 10% | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| 2015 | 76% | 9% | 5.1% | 4.6% |
| 2019 | 76% | 9% | 5.0% | 5.7% |
| 2021 | 68% | 8% | 2.5% | 17.9% |
| 2023 | 76% | 9% | 4.9% | 14.0% |
The most notable trend is the decline in carpooling from 11% to 9% over two decades and the rise of working from home. The 2021 pandemic year was an outlier, but the recovery shows that the drive-alone share snapped back to its pre-pandemic level while WFH settled at a permanently higher plateau.
Census ACS trend analysis, 2019–2023Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator04 The Work-From-Home Shift
The most dramatic change in commuting patterns is the permanent shift toward remote work. Before 2020, working from home was growing slowly (3.6% in 2005 to 5.7% in 2019). The pandemic accelerated this trend dramatically, and even after the return-to-office movement, 14% of workers continue to work primarily from home—nearly triple the pre-pandemic rate.
Census ACS, 2019 and 2023; BLS, American Time Use Survey, telework supplementsThis shift has significant fuel consumption implications. The approximately 12.6 million additional remote workers (compared to 2019) each avoid roughly 8,000 commute miles per year. At the national average fuel economy of 26 MPG and $3.38 per gallon, each remote worker saves approximately $1,040 per year in commute fuel.
Calculated: 21.3M (2023 WFH) − 8.7M (2019 WFH) = 12.6M additional. Fuel savings: 8,000 mi / 26 MPG × $3.38 = $1,040.05 Fuel Cost Implications
Commuting mode choice has direct and significant implications for household fuel spending. A solo driver spends roughly $1,040 per year on commute fuel, while a carpooler sharing with one other person spends about $520, and a transit rider or remote worker spends near zero on commute fuel.
Solo driver fuel cost: 8,000 mi / 26 MPG × $3.38 = $1,040. Carpool split: $1,040 / 2 = $520. Census ACS mode data.| Commute Mode | Annual Fuel Cost | Share of Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Drive alone | ~$1,040 | 76% |
| Carpool (2-person) | ~$520 | 9% |
| Public transit | $0 (fuel) | 5% |
| Walk / bike | $0 | 3% |
| Work from home | $0 | 14% |
At the national level, the 115.6 million solo drivers consume roughly 35.6 billion gallons of gasoline annually just for commuting (8,000 miles × 115.6M workers / 26 MPG). This represents approximately one-quarter of total U.S. gasoline consumption.
Calculated: 115.6M × 8,000 / 26 = ~35.6B gallons. EIA total gasoline consumption: ~135B gal/year.06 Data Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: ACS, Table B08301: Means of Transportation to Work, 2023. data.census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau: ACS, Table S0801: Commuting Characteristics by Sex. data.census.gov
- BLS: American Time Use Survey, Telework Supplements. bls.gov
- EIA: U.S. Gasoline Consumption. eia.gov