Carpooling was used by 8.5% of U.S. workers age 16 and over in the 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. The same estimates put average occupancy at 1.06 workers per car, truck, or van used for commuting. Older historical figures show a much higher U.S. carpooling rate in 1980, while selected 2021 Canadian places ranged from 2.4% to 9.5% of commuters traveling as vehicle passengers.
Table of contents
- U.S. carpooling today
- Vehicle group size and occupancy
- How U.S. carpooling changed
- Carpooling by worker age
- Rates by race and ethnicity
- Industry and Hispanic-origin differences
- Selected Canadian passenger measures
U.S. carpooling today
The latest U.S. percentage in this dataset comes from the Census Bureau’s 2023 ACS 5-year estimates, covering 2019–2023. Among workers age 16 and over, 8.5% carpooled to work. Because this is a 5-year estimate, it summarizes the stated period rather than representing a single-year observation. The source is the Census Bureau’s Commuting Characteristics by Sex.
The 2023 ACS 5-year table also separates carpooling by the number of workers sharing a vehicle. Two-person carpools accounted for 6.3% of workers age 16 and over. Three-person carpools accounted for 1.3%, while carpools with four or more people accounted for 0.9%. These categories show that most recorded carpool commuting was concentrated in the two-person group.
The measure is about workers’ commuting arrangements, not every trip made during the day. It should also be read separately from vehicle occupancy: the carpooling percentage describes workers in shared commuting groups, while the workers-per-vehicle figure summarizes the average number of workers per car, truck, or van used for commuting.
For a single-year reference point, the 2021 ACS 1-year estimate counted 12,018,354 U.S. workers age 16 and over as carpooled commuters. The table was B08301: Means of Transportation to Work. This 2021 count is not directly interchangeable with the 2019–2023 5-year percentage because the release type, period, and measurement format differ.
Vehicle group size and occupancy
The 2021 ACS 1-year estimate gives a more detailed count of workers by carpool size. It counted 9,050,049 workers in 2-person carpools and 1,776,397 workers in 3-person carpools. A further 683,451 workers were in 4-person carpools, 353,122 were in 5- or 6-person carpools, and 155,335 were in carpools with 7 or more people.
| 2021 U.S. carpool category | Workers counted |
|---|---|
| All carpooled commuters | 12,018,354 |
| 2-person carpools | 9,050,049 |
| 3-person carpools | 1,776,397 |
| 4-person carpools | 683,451 |
| 5- or 6-person carpools | 353,122 |
| 7-or-more-person carpools | 155,335 |
These counts are reported categories from the 2021 ACS 1-year estimate. They are useful for understanding the scale of different carpool sizes, but they should not be converted into a new percentage here because the supplied figures do not provide a matching denominator for each comparison.
The 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimate of 1.06 workers per commuting vehicle provides a separate occupancy benchmark. It indicates that the average number of workers per car, truck, or van used for commuting was only slightly above one. That average includes vehicles used by people who drove alone as well as vehicles used by carpoolers, so it is not the average size of a carpool.
How U.S. carpooling changed
The historical series shows a long decline in the share of U.S. workers who carpooled. The Census Bureau reported that about 19.7% of workers carpooled in 1980 and about 9.0% did so in 2013. The 1980–2013 comparison comes from the Census Bureau’s Commuting Report and Table Package. In the same source, about 86% of U.S. workers commuted by private vehicle during the 1980–2013 period, including people who drove alone and people who carpooled.
Another Census Bureau publication reported that carpooling accounted for 8.9% of workers in 2019 and 7.8% in 2021. Those figures appear in Home-Based Worker and the COVID-19 Pandemic. They belong to a different published comparison than the 2013 estimate and should not be treated as a single continuously defined series without checking the underlying tables.
| Reference period | U.S. workers carpooling |
|---|---|
| 1980 | About 19.7% |
| 2013 | About 9.0% |
| 2019 | 8.9% |
| 2021 | 7.8% |
| 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimates | 8.5% |
The years above mix historical report figures, a 2021 ACS 1-year comparison, and a 2019–2023 ACS 5-year estimate. The table is therefore a reference view of the supplied measurements, not a claim that every value was produced with identical methodology. The older figures were reported by the Census Bureau for their stated periods and are not independently rechecked here.
Carpooling by worker age
Age differences are available for the 2013–2017 ACS period. In that period, 9.2% of U.S. workers age 16 and over commuted by carpool. Workers age 25 to 54 had a rate of 9.3%, slightly above the all-worker figure. The source is the Census Bureau report The Commuting Patterns of Older Workers: 2013–2017.
The rate was lower among the older age groups in that report. Among workers age 55 to 64, 7.0% commuted by carpool. The rate was 6.1% for workers age 65 to 74, and 6.9% for workers age 75 and over. The report’s 6.9% figure describes people age 75 and over who traveled by carpool.
| Worker age | Carpooling rate, 2013–2017 ACS |
|---|---|
| Age 16 and over | 9.2% |
| Age 25–54 | 9.3% |
| Age 55–64 | 7.0% |
| Age 65–74 | 6.1% |
| Age 75 and over | 6.9% |
These age figures are estimates for 2013–2017, not current age-specific rates. They also measure commuting by carpool, so they should not be generalized to non-work travel or to all shared rides.
Rates by race and ethnicity
The Census Bureau’s Who Drives to Work? Commuting by Automobile in the United States: 2013 reports carpooling rates by race and ethnicity for 2006 and 2013. Among Hispanic workers, the rate was 19% in 2006 and 15% in 2013. Among Asian workers, it was 14% in 2006 and 13% in 2013.
The report lists a 2006 rate of 11% for Black workers and 9% in 2013. White workers had a rate of 9% in 2006 and 8% in 2013. Workers classified as Other had a rate of 13% in 2006 and 11% in 2013.
| Group in the report | 2006 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic workers | 19% | 15% |
| Asian workers | 14% | 13% |
| Black workers | 11% | 9% |
| White workers | 9% | 8% |
| Other | 13% | 11% |
The labels and categories above follow the report. The figures show the measurement years and the rates reported for those years; they do not establish causes for the differences or indicate that the categories are directly comparable with newer ACS releases.
Industry and Hispanic-origin differences
The same 2013 Census Bureau report gives industry-level rates and, for each listed industry, a separate rate for Hispanic workers. Across all industries, 9.4% of U.S. workers carpooled in 2013. Among Hispanic U.S. workers across all industries, the rate was 14.7%.
Construction had a 15.9% carpooling rate among all U.S. construction workers and 25.2% among Hispanic construction workers. In agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, and mining, the all-worker rate was 14.1%, compared with 27.3% among Hispanic workers.
Wholesale trade had an overall rate of 8.3% and a Hispanic-worker rate of 15.7%. Public administration had rates of 8.0% overall and 9.9% among Hispanic workers. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities had an overall rate of 7.7% and a Hispanic-worker rate of 11.2%.
| Industry or scope, 2013 | All workers | Hispanic workers |
|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9.4% | 14.7% |
| Construction | 15.9% | 25.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, and mining | 14.1% | 27.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 8.3% | 15.7% |
| Public administration | 8.0% | 9.9% |
| Transportation, warehousing, and utilities | 7.7% | 11.2% |
The industry categories describe the report’s 2013 scope. The Hispanic-worker figures are subgroup measurements within those industries, not forecasts or universal rates for every workplace in the category.
Selected Canadian passenger measures
Canadian 2021 Census place profiles provide a different but related measure: commuters who were car, truck, or van passengers. The denominator is the employed labour force commuting to a usual workplace or with no fixed workplace address. These figures are passenger measures for specific places, not a national Canadian carpooling rate.
Saint John census metropolitan area recorded 4,005 such commuters, or 8.1% of the relevant employed labour force, according to its 2021 Census profile. Richmond Hill, Ontario, recorded 4,095 passengers, or 7.4%, in its profile. Metro Vancouver A regional district electoral area recorded 165 passengers, or 4.6%, according to Statistics Canada.
Trail census agglomeration, British Columbia, recorded 330 passengers, or 6.1%, in its 2021 profile. Division No. 1, Subd. H, Newfoundland and Labrador, recorded 10 passengers, or 9.5%, according to Statistics Canada. Quinte West, Ontario, recorded 1,065 passengers, or 6.3%, in its profile.
Stony Plain, Alberta, recorded 270 vehicle passengers, or 4.0%, in its 2021 Census profile. Langham, Saskatchewan, recorded 15 passengers, or 2.4%, according to Statistics Canada. Viking, Alberta, also recorded 10 passengers, or 2.4%, in its 2021 profile.
The Canadian examples span metropolitan areas, census agglomerations, subdivisions, and a regional district electoral area. Their differing geographic definitions and small reported counts mean they are best read as local snapshots. Together, they show why place, denominator, and the exact passenger definition matter when comparing carpooling statistics across regions.