Three in Four Americans Live in Car-Dependent Areas and Only 9% Live Somewhere Walkable, Analysis of Every U.S. Census Block Finds

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BestNeighborhood

Nov 12, 2026, 08:38 ET

New York is the only large metro where nearly half of residents live in walkable areas. In 21 of the 50 largest metros, 4% or fewer do.

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Three in four Americans (75%) live in car-dependent areas, and more than half (52%) live where the Walk Grade is between 0 and 10 out of 100, according to a new population-weighted analysis of every U.S. census block by BestNeighborhood. Only 9% live somewhere walkable, scoring 70 or higher. The full study is at https://bestneighborhood.org/walk-grade/.

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Share of U.S. residents by Walk Grade, from 0 (car-dependent) to 100 (fully walkable). 52% of Americans live where the Walk Grade is between 0 and 10, and 9% where it is 70 or higher. Population-weighted across every U.S. census block, 2020 Census populations, 50 states and DC. Source: BestNeighborhood Walk Grade, https://bestneighborhood.org/walk-grade/
Share of U.S. residents by Walk Grade, from 0 (car-dependent) to 100 (fully walkable). 52% of Americans live where the Walk Grade is between 0 and 10, and 9% where it is 70 or higher. Population-weighted across every U.S. census block, 2020 Census populations, 50 states and DC. Source: BestNeighborhood Walk Grade, https://bestneighborhood.org/walk-grade/
Share of residents living in walkable areas (Walk Grade 70 or higher) in the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, from New York (47%) to Birmingham and Memphis (2%). Each metro's figure is on its Walk Grade page at bestneighborhood.org. Source: BestNeighborhood Walk Grade.
Share of residents living in walkable areas (Walk Grade 70 or higher) in the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, from New York (47%) to Birmingham and Memphis (2%). Each metro's figure is on its Walk Grade page at bestneighborhood.org. Source: BestNeighborhood Walk Grade.

Walk Grade measures the walk a person would actually take. It traces the real route to grocery stores, pharmacies, schools, parks and transit stops along every sidewalk, path and crossing, and adds distance for wide, fast roads to cross, loud traffic, missing shade and surface parking. A store 200 meters away across a freeway counts as far, because the only way there is the long detour to the nearest bridge.

Key findings:

  • New York leads the 50 largest metro areas, with 47% of residents in walkable areas, about twice the share in San Francisco (25%), Chicago (24%), Boston (22%) and Philadelphia (21%), the only other large metros above 20%.
  • In 22 of the 50 largest metros, at least 80% of residents live in car-dependent areas.
  • In the Birmingham and Memphis metros, about 2% of residents live in walkable areas, and no neighborhood with 1,000 or more residents scores 70 or higher.
  • The eight most car-dependent states are all in the South. In Mississippi and Alabama, 92% of residents live in car-dependent areas.
  • Among the states and the District of Columbia, D.C. is the most walkable, with 54% of residents in walkable areas, followed by New York at 41%.
  • Five neighborhoods share the highest neighborhood score in the country, 99: the Financial District, West Village, Battery Park and Chinatown in Manhattan, and Chinatown in San Francisco.

Walk Grades for every U.S. city, town, county, ZIP code and neighborhood are free at bestneighborhood.org, and any website can embed a live Walk Grade card with the free widget at https://bestneighborhood.org/walkability-widget/.

Methodology. Walk Grade is computed on a grid of 66-meter hexagons from Overture Maps streets, sidewalks, crossings and destinations, federal road traffic data and satellite tree canopy, then weighted by 2020 Census block populations across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Walkable areas score 70 or higher out of 100; car-dependent areas score below 30. Metro areas follow federal definitions, and neighborhood rankings count neighborhoods with at least 1,000 residents.

About BestNeighborhood. BestNeighborhood maps home prices, crime, schools, noise, commutes and dozens of other measures for every neighborhood in the United States. BestNeighborhood is a Terra Lake Data company.

Media contact: Edwin Ivanauskas, [email protected], 385-469-0720

SOURCE BestNeighborhood