Here's how many miles Twin Cities household travel a year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The average Twin Cities metro area household traveled 31,321 miles by car, bike, foot, or transit in 2022, coming in slightly higher than the national average of about 30,000, per a new report.
Driving the news: A recent study from the Brookings Institution explored household travel data for the 110 largest U.S. metro areas to measure how close people are to where they work, eat, play, shop, and more.
Why it matters: Living close to centers of economic activity "should reduce the distances people need to travel for many of their essential trips," saving around $920 to $1,200 in annual transportation expenses, the analysts wrote.
- Shorter trips also make non-car travel more attractive, improve quality of life, and lower environmental emissions, the study added.
Zoom in: Twin Cities households within three miles of five such activity centers travel 13,982 miles less per year than those who have to travel seven miles to reach the same amenities.
Yes, but: Nationwide, 37% of residents in the metro areas studied live within three miles of five activity centers.
- In the Twin Cities metro area, the share is 28%.
Between the lines: The report suggests our travel routines have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The combined annual mileage for 2022 was on par with the 31,178 logged for 2019.
Of note: While overall travel is up, public transit ridership in the Twin Cities remains below pre-pandemic levels, per Metro Transit.
The bottom line: The analysts argue for "building for proximity" to lower overall trip distances and make walking and biking more feasible.
Go deeper: The many benefits of "building for proximity"
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the share of Twin Cities residents who live within three miles of five activity centers.