Report: Honolulu Named Top Commuter Transit City
The Brookings Institution’s report reviewed commuter transit in 100 cities across the U.S. and found that nearly 70% of working people live in neighborhoods that offer transit service.

Honolulu provides the best access to public transportation for commuters in the U.S., according to a study recently released by The Brookings Institution.
Photo: Oahu Transit.
Honolulu provides the best access to public transportation for commuters in the U.S., according to a study recently released by The Brookings Institution, “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America,” Reuters reported.
The Los Angeles metropolitan area took the second spot, with San Jose, Calif.; El Paso, Texas; and San Francisco rounding out the top five. The report also found that in the U.S.'s 100 largest metropolitan areas, nearly 70 percent of working-age people live in neighborhoods that offer transit service. For the full story, click here.
To view the report, click here.
Top and Bottom Metropolitan Areas for Share of Working-Age Residents with Access to Transit
Rank/ Metropolitan Area/ Coverage (%)
Top 10:
1. Honolulu — 97.0
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. — 96.0
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. — 95.6
4. El Paso, Texas — 94.3
5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. — 91.7
6. Modesto, Calif. — 90.4
7. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-PA — 89.6
8. Salt Lake City — 89.0
9. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. — 88.8
10. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. — 85.5
Bottom 10:
91. Baton Rouge, La. — 34.2
92. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine — 33.1
93. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn. — 32.2
94. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. — 32.1
95. Richmond, Va. — 30.8
96. Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.-S.C. — 30.2
97. Jackson, Miss. — 30.0
98. Knoxville, Tenn. — 27.9
99. Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, S.C. — 27.7
100. Chattanooga, Tenn.-Ga. — 22.5
(Source: Brookings Institution analysis of transit agency and Nielsen Pop-Facts 2010 data)
Top and Bottom Metropolitan Areas for Average Share of Jobs Accessible in 90 Minutes via Transit
Rank/ Metropolitan Area/Share of Jobs Reachable in 90 Minutes (%)
Top 10:
Honolulu — 59.8
Salt Lake City — 58.9
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. — 58.4
Madison, Wis. — 58.2
Tucson, Ariz. — 57.2
Fresno, Calif. — 57.0
Albuquerque, N.M. — 52.9
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis. — 48.6
Provo-Orem, Utah — 48.3
Denver-Aurora, Colo. — 47.5
Bottom 10:
91. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas — 16.6
92. Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.-S.C. — 16.4
93. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. — 16.3
94. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. — 16.2
95. Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla. — 15.8
96. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. — 15.4
97. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa. — 14.2
98. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, N.Y. — 8.2
99. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. — 7.9
100. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla. — 7.4
(Source: Brookings Institution analysis of transit agency, Nielsen Pop-Facts 2010, and Nielsen Business-Facts data)
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