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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.

May 12, 2011
Report: Honolulu Named Top Commuter Transit City

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.

2 min to read


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 (%)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

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  1. Honolulu  — 59.8

  2. Salt Lake City — 58.9

  3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. — 58.4

  4. Madison, Wis. — 58.2

  5. Tucson, Ariz.  — 57.2

  6. Fresno, Calif.  — 57.0

  7. Albuquerque, N.M.  — 52.9

  8. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis.  — 48.6

  9. Provo-Orem, Utah  — 48.3

  10. 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

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  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

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  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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