In Some Metros More than 80% Are Solo Commuters

Three-quarters of all American workers drive alone to work. But in some metros more than 80 percent of the population’s workers subscribe to single-occupancy travel (I’m guilty Kansas City).

The major market with the strongest concentration of solo commuters is — fittingly enough — the nation’s auto capital, Detroit. Here are the top 10 major markets:

1. Detroit, 84.62%
2. Birmingham, 83.58%
3. Indianapolis, 83.44%
4. Kansas City, 83.04%
5. Columbus, 82.58%
6. Memphis, 82.56%
7. Louisville, 82.48%
8. St. Louis, 82.33%
9. Cincinnati, 82.31%
10. Oklahoma City, 82.20%

Again, three-quarters of all American workers drive by themselves to their places of employment. Here’s the national breakdown commuting modes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey:

• Drive alone in car, truck or van, 76.0 percent
• Carpool, 10.4 percent
• Public transit, 4.9 percent
• Work at home, 4.1 percent
• Walk, 2.8 percent
• Other means (taxi, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, etc.), 1.7 percent

Hey auto makers, looks like we need to ramp up production of single-occupancy vehicles like this!