2023 MSA Rankings
With the release of Replica's multimodal, network-level Fall 2023 data, we looked across the Top 50 Metro Areas in the US, and compared each region across 3 key metrics: (1) VMT per capita; (2) Daily travel minutes per capita; and (3) Walking mode share.
Explore the data below, and see how your city stacks up, especially when normalizing for population density. Then reach out for more detailed insights including county or tract level detail, demographic breakdowns, and differences by household income cohort.
Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Person
Across the top 50 MSAs, daily per capita VMT ranges from just over 38 in Raleigh, North Carolina, to under 15 in New York.
Walking Mode Share
There are many factors that go into how viable walking is as a potential mode choice in each location, but none is more important than density. That's why the New York Metro sits on the far end of the spectrum with 18% of all trips taken via walking. But weather is also a significant factor, which is why we see some of the lowest walking rates on a typical Fall day in Southern metros where the temperature might just be too hot (and the air too humid) to encourage a lot of outdoor travel.
Daily Travel Minutes Per Person
VMT doesn't equate perfectly to daily travel minutes per person. Not every trip is by car and in certain places, people are far more likely than in others to walk, bike, or take public transit. Second of all even for those in a car, not all traffic is equal. Daily travel minutes per person is impacted both by the distance of all the different types of trips people make, and, for the 95% of trips every day that are taken by car, how bad congestion is.
The Power of Population Density
Moving from data to insight requires context, which is why Replica includes demographic, land use, and economic data alongside mobility metrics. Below, mapped these three key metrics against each metro's population density. The trend line is clear but so are some key outliers. Look below and reach out for further breakdowns by land use.
Get Access Today
Contact us to learn how Replica can help bring insights like these to your organization.
