A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America

(Originally published September 14, 2009, reprinted in celebration of National Bike Month)

The 5 U.S. cities (1,000+ population) with the least car ownership* (2000 census):

1. Hooper Bay, Alaska (Pop. 1022) – 95.65% of households car-free.
2. New Square Village, NY (Pop. 4707) – 73.77% of households car-free.
3. Kaser Village, NY (Pop. 3299) – 68.57% of households car-free.
4. Kiryas Joel Village, NY – (Pop. 13,214) – 57.78% of households car-free.
5. Kotzebue, Alaska – (Pop. 3082) – 51.29% of households car-free.

Number of U.S. cities (1000+ Population) in which 100% of households own a car (2000 census):

155

Average cost per year of owning and operating a vehicle (2008):

$8,095

Average percentage of household income Americans spend on transportation costs each year (2007):

17.65%

Number of minutes per day the average American reports spending behind the wheel (2007):

87

Amount of time the average 16 year-old American will spend driving a car in his or her lifetime (Figure based on 87 minutes per day average driving-time and a 77.8 year life-expectancy):

3.73 years

Percentage of workers who commute to work in a car alone every day:

85%

Average cost of a new car:

$28,400

Number of motor vehicles scrapped in the U.S. every year (2007):

12,737,000

Federal Highway Administration budget for 2010:

50 billion

Federal Transit Administration budget for 2010:

10 billion

Federal Railway Administration budget for 2010:

1.5 billion

*Click on hyperlinks to see sources for statistics.