Commuter cars remain central to how people get to work in the United States. In 2022, 68.7% of workers drove alone, while 8.6% carpooled. The same year, 124,126,435 workers traveled by car, truck, or van, and 24,381,732 worked from home. These figures show both the continuing importance of the car commute and the scale of work-from-home change.
Contents
- How workers traveled to work
- How commuting changed from 2019 to 2022
- When commuters left for work
- How many workers used cars and carpools
- Fuel economy by vehicle type
- The long-term efficiency trend
- What affects commuter-car fuel use
How workers traveled to work
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Commuting in the United States: 2022 report provides a broad view of travel modes. Driving alone was the dominant arrangement: 68.7% of workers used it in 2022. Carpooling accounted for 8.6%, and public transportation accounted for 3.1%. Another 2.9% biked or walked to work, while 1.5% used a taxicab, motorcycle, or other means.
The commuting population was large even as remote work became more common. The Census reported that almost 140 million people in the United States routinely commuted to work in 2022. More than 20 million people worked from home. Table B08301/C08301 gives a more precise count for the same year: 24,381,732 workers worked from home.
The available percentages describe different ways workers traveled, while the table counts identify the size of several groups. Together, they put commuter-car use in context: cars, trucks, and vans still carried the largest share of workers, but commuting was no longer the only prominent work arrangement.
How commuting changed from 2019 to 2022
The Census comparison between 2019 and 2022 shows a substantial change in solo driving. In 2019, 75.9% of U.S. workers drove alone to work. By 2022, that share was 68.7%, a decline of 9.2 percentage points.
Carpooling moved in the opposite direction after its 2021 low. The carpool share was 8.9% in 2019, fell to 7.8% in 2021, and reached 8.6% in 2022. The 2022 figure was 0.3 percentage points below the 2019 level, which the Census described as a return near pre-pandemic levels.
Public transportation remained below its 2019 share. It accounted for 5.0% of workers in 2019, 2.5% in 2021, and 3.1% in 2022. The 2022 share was therefore 1.9 percentage points lower than in 2019.
The Census ACS commuting-at-a-glance figures show that solo driving stood at 69.2% in 2023 and remained 69.2% in 2024. That source says the driven-alone share was unchanged between those two years. These figures are annual ACS results for the stated years and should be read separately from the 2019–2022 comparison in Commuting in the United States: 2022.
| Year | Drove alone | Carpooled | Public transportation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 75.9% | 8.9% | 5.0% |
| 2021 | 67.8% | 7.8% | 2.5% |
| 2022 | 68.7% | 8.6% | 3.1% |
Source: Census, Commuting in the United States: 2022.
When commuters left for work
Departure time matters for anyone choosing or operating a commuter car. In 2022, 83.3 million workers left during the Census Bureau’s core commuting window, from 6:00 a.m. through 8:59 a.m. In 2019, the comparable number was 92.1 million.
The earlier overnight period also declined: 19.6 million workers left between midnight and 5:59 a.m. in 2022, compared with 20.5 million in 2019. Departures from 9:00 a.m. through 11:59 a.m. totaled 15.5 million in 2022, down from 16.3 million in 2019.
These are counts of workers departing during specific periods, not estimates of trip duration or traffic volume. They identify when people left for work and make the 6:00–8:59 a.m. period the largest of the reported windows.
For commuter-car planning, the timing distinction is useful. A vehicle used for an early or core-window departure may spend more time in stop-and-go conditions than a vehicle used outside those windows, but the supplied Census figures do not quantify congestion, distance, or average speed.
How many workers used cars and carpools
According to Census Table B08301/C08301, 124,126,435 workers commuted by car, truck, or van in 2022. Of those, 110,245,368 drove alone and 13,881,067 carpooled.
The carpool total included several group sizes. Two-person carpools accounted for 10,240,427 workers. Three-person carpools accounted for 2,173,594 workers, while 1,467,046 workers were in carpools with four or more people. The table therefore shows that two-person carpools were the largest reported carpool category.
Other 2022 travel counts in the same Census table were 5,013,135 workers using public transportation excluding taxicab, 3,855,075 walking to work, and 3,201,359 using a taxicab, motorcycle, bicycle, or other means.
| 2022 commuting category | Workers |
|---|---|
| Car, truck, or van | 124,126,435 |
| Drove alone | 110,245,368 |
| Carpooled | 13,881,067 |
| Two-person carpool | 10,240,427 |
| Three-person carpool | 2,173,594 |
| Four-or-more-person carpool | 1,467,046 |
| Worked from home | 24,381,732 |
Source: Census Table B08301/C08301.
Fuel economy by vehicle type
The EPA’s 2025 Automotive Trends Report snippet separates model-year 2024 vehicles into several categories. Sedan and wagon vehicles represented 23.1% of the fleet and averaged 36.2 miles per gallon. Car SUVs represented 11.6% and averaged 37.6 mpg.
Truck SUVs were the largest listed category at 48.3% of the model-year 2024 fleet, but their average was 26.3 mpg. Minivans and vans represented 2.3% and averaged 28.2 mpg. Pickups represented 14.8% and averaged 21.3 mpg.
| Model-year 2024 vehicle type | Fleet share | Average fuel economy |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan/wagon | 23.1% | 36.2 mpg |
| Car SUV | 11.6% | 37.6 mpg |
| Truck SUV | 48.3% | 26.3 mpg |
| Minivan/van | 2.3% | 28.2 mpg |
| Pickup | 14.8% | 21.3 mpg |
Source: EPA, 2025 Automotive Trends Report snippet. These are model-year 2024 averages, not a measurement of every vehicle currently used for commuting.
The same EPA source provides model-year 1975 comparison points. Sedans and wagons represented 80.6% of that fleet and averaged 13.5 mpg. Car SUVs represented 0.1% and averaged 11.1 mpg; truck SUVs represented 1.7% and averaged 11.0 mpg. Minivans and vans represented 4.5% and averaged 11.1 mpg, while pickups represented 13.1% and averaged 11.9 mpg.
The long-term efficiency trend
EPA historical trend data shows a broad improvement in U.S. vehicle efficiency. Average vehicle fuel economy rose from 13.1 mpg in 1975 to 27.1 mpg in 2023, according to the EPA’s 50 Years of Automotive Trends Report. The EPA’s Light-Duty Vehicle Trends Since 1975 describes that increase as 106%.
The same EPA trends source says average vehicle carbon dioxide emissions per mile fell 53% since 1975. For a commuter-car reader, the comparison is a long-term fleet trend rather than a promise about an individual vehicle’s fuel cost or emissions.
For model year 2024, the EPA’s Automotive Trends Highlights reported average new-vehicle real-world fuel economy of 27.2 mpg, a record high. A separate 2025 Automotive Trends Report snippet said model-year 2024 new-vehicle fuel economy was 1.7 mpg lower than the previous peak trend path implied. The two statements refer to different EPA trend comparisons: one reports the recorded average, while the other describes its position relative to an implied path.
What affects commuter-car fuel use
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Economy page identifies several conditions that can change a car’s fuel use. A 100-pound load can increase gas costs by up to $0.03 per gallon. Roof-rack drag can reduce fuel economy by up to 8% in city driving and up to 25% at Interstate speeds.
Driving style has a wide reported effect. Aggressive driving can lower highway gas mileage by 15% to 30% and city mileage by 10% to 40%. For every 5 mph driven above 50 mph, fuel economy falls enough to be comparable to paying an extra $0.22 per gallon of gasoline.
Idling can consume 0.25 to 0.5 gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air-conditioner use. Several short trips from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip of the same distance when the engine is warm. These figures describe fuel-use conditions, not a typical commuter’s guaranteed savings.
Maintenance and vehicle setup also matter. Using the wrong grade of motor oil can lower gas mileage by 1% to 2%. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve mileage by as much as 40%. The DOE’s ranges and “up to” values indicate potential effects under the stated conditions; they do not establish one universal result for every commuter car.
Taken together, the statistics describe a commuter landscape with a large car-based workforce, a smaller but meaningful carpool population, shifting departure patterns, and steadily higher fleet fuel economy over the long term. Vehicle type, speed, idling, load, roof racks, driving style, and maintenance can all change how efficiently a particular trip is made.